


Bite the Night

by MistressKat, pushkin666



Category: Strictly Come Dancing RPF
Genre: Alpha/Beta, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Claiming, Claiming Bites, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Rough Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 12:34:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2547659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressKat/pseuds/MistressKat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/pushkin666/pseuds/pushkin666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruno is a disillusioned werewolf beta. So is Craig. Except for being a beta, that part’s not quite accurate. UST, angst, power dynamics, claiming sex, clichés abound!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bite the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Why yes, we are working our way through fandom tropes for this pairing. Vampire and Sentinel AUs in WIP status. Weep/rejoice as you wish. Outstanding beta duty by the longsuffering [Fictionwriter](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Fictionwriter)

 

Craig isn't exactly drunk, he just feels like it. That’s the way it always is; letting his carefully cultivated cover melt away and his true nature bleed back in, like full moon drifting into sight from behind the clouds. He feels lighter and stronger, just by the virtue of allowing himself be what he is. Moments like these, Craig almost forgets the reasons why he keeps it hidden in the first place.  
  
Then of course, a few days of this and he'll end up having to wade into every single squabble and disagreement because most shifters can't help but wait for an alpha to take charge if one is around even if they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves in the absence of one. It's exhausting and frustrating and not something he wants to do. Playing at being a strong beta is by far the easier option.  
  
But sometimes, in anonymous shifter bars on the other side of the world where no one cares what he does for a living¬¬, Craig can just let go, just for an evening or two. In Australia, the local packs still welcome him and no one is inclined to question his life choices outside its shores. This joint is classier than most he's been to, and Craig's spent a relaxed evening in one of the quieter backrooms, drinking and watching. He's almost made his mind up about whether to take someone home, knows it would probably do him good, but there's pleasure to be had in the hunt too.  
  
Eyes focused on a group of shifters he quietly follows them to the main bar, not really stalking, just... interested. The group notices him, of course they do, but he senses nothing but interest back so everything is good.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Bruno has managed to find a quiet spot where he can sulk, and with any luck drink himself into enough of a stupor that he doesn't have to think too much about what happened tonight. How yet again he’d managed to find himself out with a shifter fan boy. Something he really doesn’t want ever again. It was fun when he was younger, pushing humans into submission and letting them see just what sex with a shifter was like. But now Bruno is definitely getting too old for this kind of crap. It's not really something that he wants.  
  
What he wants, he admits in those quiet moments when he's actually honest with himself, is a mate, another shifter. But Bruno won't go there. He hasn't met an alpha that he would like to be with, or indeed another beta – certainly not for more than a night.  
  
Taking a mouthful of his drink, Bruno casts his gaze over the bar, checking out the shifters and humans that are enjoying their night out. Pheromones coat the room, and it's a moment or two before Bruno realises there's a scent among them he recognises: one that he most definitely wasn't expecting to find here.  Bruno sits up and looks around, not quite believing that he can smell Craig.  
  
But his nose isn't mistaken and Bruno's eyes widen as he watches Craig enter the bar from one of the side rooms.  His demeanour is different, more confident, and everything about him screams _alpha_. Which goes against everything Bruno knows about Craig... Or thought he did, anyway.  
  
  
***   
  
  
Craig is so focused on the group he's watching– a pack without an alpha really and that could be... more than he wants – and the cold burn of alcohol in his mouth that it takes his conscious mind embarrassingly long to realise that one of the things he's smelling in the room is not like the others. It's... familiar. Known.  
  
Right on the heel of that realisation comes a name and Craig closes his eyes, just for a second, cursing under his breath because dammit, this most definitely wasn't the plan. When he opens them, his head is already turned in the right direction and his eyes confirm what his nose already told him: Bruno is here.  
  
 And he's watching Craig with wide eyes, like he's never seen him before, which... would be about right. Because he never has, not really. Not like this. Irritation flares in him, enough that the young beta next to him cringes away even though it's aimed at no one in particular, just the damn circumstances and the twisted sense of humour the universe seems to have. For a moment, Craig entertains the idea of just slipping back into his usual act but no, it's clearly too late for that. And no matter what else, Bruno isn't stupid and once he's seen Craig – _really_ seen him – he's unlikely to be fooled again.  
  
With a sigh, Craig turns to the bar. The bartender ignores the customers who were there before him and takes his order first. Nobody even thinks about complaining, but then there are no other alphas at the bar at present. Oh they're here, a few of them in the club, but so far none of them are bothering Craig. A minute later, and a bottle and two glasses in his hands, Craig heads toward Bruno's table.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Bruno sips carefully at his whisky and coke, all the while keeping his gaze on Craig, carefully watching to see what the alpha will do. He can feel his body language beginning to change as Craig gets closer and it's at times like this that he hates his shifter nature. No matter how he might not want to react to an alpha, he can't stop himself from sinking deeper into his seat, showing that he's not a threat.  
  
It doesn't take Craig long to reach him, pushing his way through the crowd. Although that's not quite true; if anything the other shifters are simply moving out of Craig's way, making way for the alpha.  
  
Bruno is sitting in one of the booths, generally projecting 'fuck off' vibes so strong that no one's dared to join him for which Craig is grateful. This conversation is going to be awkward enough as it is without needing to chase off a third party.  
  
"Bruno," he says in greeting, putting the bottle and the glasses onto the table. There's a strong sense of surprise and anger coming off the other shifter, and Bruno's expression is all defiance as he stares at Craig. His body language though...  
  
Well, that's another story.  
  
When Craig says his name, Bruno can't stop himself automatically leaning his head back and baring his neck. He brings his hand up to scratch it, hastily trying to disguise the instinctive reaction of any beta to an alpha's greeting.  
  
He watches as Craig closes the curtains behind himself, sealing them into the booth. The atmosphere becomes more intimate as Craig slides into the seat opposite him.  
  
"Well well," Bruno responds, "If it isn't Craig Revel Horwood. Tell me, when did you suddenly become an alpha Craig?" His tone is sharp, but he doesn't particularly care.  
  
"Since birth," Craig answers, sighing. He knew to expect something like this, but it still stings, especially since the words are in conflict with Bruno's body language.  
  
Of course, Craig knows Bruno's reaction is instinctive. That it doesn't really mean anything. But knowing that and making his own body believe it are two different things, especially when he's let his true nature out. It's always difficult to pack it all in after a night like this and Craig's never before had to try and switch between roles so suddenly. Not that doing so would do any good.  
  
The fact remains that he's an alpha and the sight of another shifter baring his neck makes him want to push closer, just to make the point clear about who’s in charge here. And no matter how idiotic it is to his human mind, it has still taken some conscious effort to sit on the opposite side of the table and not crowd Bruno into the corner.  
  
 _Since birth! Well isn't that nice!_ Bruno thinks. He raises his glass and then knocks the drink back, enjoying the burn as it goes down. He's already on his way to being drunk and the way he's feeling right now he thinks it would be a damned good idea to continue with this plan.  
  
He slams the empty glass onto the table and then picks up the bottle that Craig has brought with him, noting the quality of the whisky but then he should expect nothing else.  "Very nice." He uncorks it and pours them both a measure, pushing the glass over to Craig.  
  
"Salute." He toasts Craig with the drink, the alcohol burning his throat as he swallows.  
  
Craig tears his eyes away from the bobbing of Bruno's Adam’s apple and contemplates the automatic way he'd poured and offered Craig a drink instead. He's pretty sure Bruno doesn't even realise he's doing it and Craig is not sure whether to be pleased or annoyed by that.  
  
He drinks the whisky instead, but puts a hand over his glass when Bruno goes to pour them a second one. A more careful onceover tells him that for Bruno this is one of many already; he's well and truly on his way to being drunk, which for a shifter takes some concentrated effort.  
  
"You're pissed," Craig says, and it comes out sharper than he means, but he's worried.  
  
Bruno's hackles rise at Craig's comment, the tone of his voice. "You're not my alpha," he snaps. "It's got nothing to do with you whether I've had too much to drink or not." He takes another mouthful of the whisky and waves his glass at Craig. "If I want to get pissed it's my decision, Craig. Not yours."  
  
"I'm well aware," Craig says tightly, grinding his teeth. Bruno is being deliberately obnoxious, and everything in Craig is screaming at him to put Bruno in his place, that this type of attitude from a beta is not to be tolerated.  
  
But Bruno's behaviour has a reason, a good one Craig reckons, so he stays where he is. And if his nails dig into the surface of the table a little then that's neither here nor there.  
  
Bruno laughs, and the sound is bitter even to his own ears.  He knows that he's pushing Craig. He doesn't care though, but he can tell that Craig is getting angry, from the way he's holding himself; still and tense.  
  
He leans back in the seat and slowly rakes his eyes over Craig who is admittedly looking good, clearly dressed up for a night out. Bruno wonders whether Craig had been intending to take anybody home. He's certainly dressed for it, in tight black trousers and a t-shirt, a leather jacket slung on the seat next to him.  
  
Craig bristles a little and Bruno smiles at him through his teeth.  "So, how come you don't have a pack Craig? I would have thought that a big strong alpha like you should have had one by now. I mean what the fuck? All these years you've apparently been pretending to be a beta." Bruno waves his drinking arm around a little, splashing whisky on the table.  
  
He leans forward across the table. "Funny thing was Craig, I thought we were friends. But if you can keep something like this from me, from everybody else that knows you, then what does that make you?  A liar, certainly. Maybe a coward too."  
  
Craig carefully moves his hand from around the glass before he breaks it. Everything Bruno is saying feels like a slap to the face and he reckons that's the exact effect Bruno means it to have. And from his point of view... it's deserved.  
  
But Bruno is not Craig and he does not and cannot, understand his reasons. "It makes me tired," Craig says. "Lazy perhaps, for wanting an easy... well, easier life."  
  
That at least piques Bruno's curiosity and he tilts his head to the side in a completely wolf-like gesture of interest, even if his drinking is not slowing down one bit.  
  
So Craig takes the opportunity to talk, for Bruno is right; he is one of the people Craig should have trusted with this earlier and he owes him an explanation. So he tells him about how different things were in Australia, less formal than in Britain, about his marriage which fell apart for reasons other than what everyone expected. And he talks about how tired he was of being responsible, how difficult it was to get a job if there was even a smallest possibility of 'unfair influence' he might be asserting over betas and omegas without even meaning to.  
  
Bruno gets it, he really does. But that doesn't mean that his anger has faded one bit. The unfairness of the difference between alphas and betas hits him once again.  
  
"I see." He deliberately pours more whisky into both glasses now that Craig has unthinkingly removed his hand. "What you're saying is that you come to anonymous shifter bars because apparently you can only be yourself where no one knows you, not among people who care about you. You come here to relieve tensions do you?  Get betas and omegas fawning all over you?"  
  
Bruno swallows more of the whisky – it's beginning to get to him now and he knows that he's going to be feeling pretty shitty in the morning. Shifters might have a fast metabolisms but they can, and do, get drunk if they put their minds to it.  
  
Bruno is really putting his mind to it right now.  
  
He doesn't particularly like alphas and has had a number of bad experiences in the past with some who have thought that simply because Bruno is a beta he should do whatever the hell they want. What really gets to him though is seeing the way the other wolves in the bar behaved around Craig, the way the humans stared at him. As an alpha Craig can have whoever he wants, unlike Bruno.  
  
"So Craig, how many offers did you get tonight? Who were you planning on taking home? You could have anybody." He slumps back into his seat and places the glass on the table, staring at Craig. "Hell, if you want me, you can have me, Craig." The words fall from his mouth before he can hold them back.  
  
Craig is half way out off his seat and across the table before his brain catches up with his body. Jesus _fuck_ , Bruno should know better than this, even when blind drunk. By all accounts he isn't the kind of beta that pays a lot of attention to tradition but he isn't _stupid_ and only an idiot or someone with a serious self-destructive streak would throw out an offer like that and _not mean it_.  
  
"Bruno," Craig says, spits, _growls_ , frozen between his seat and Bruno's, both hands flat on the table, muscles quivering in an effort to not move all the way across but unable yet to back down either. "Do not." He's not even sure what he's telling Bruno not to do: to not talk, to not lie, to not play with things neither of them is prepared to handle right now.  
  
Craig’s words are a smack in the face, yet another rejection in a long line of them, and Bruno has really had enough tonight. He’s tired of people trying to use him because of what he is, and now here's Craig rejecting him. Craig, who right now is pushing all of Bruno's buttons by looming over him like this, and god Bruno wants him. Despite his anger and the lingering sense of betrayal, he wants Craig to push him down right now and bite him; to dig his claws into Bruno's back and fuck him.  
  
But Craig doesn't want him, has just given him a command, and if Craig doesn't want him then... Well, then Bruno will take his offer elsewhere.  
  
"Not good enough for you then eh? Oh well." He starts to push himself up from the seat. "I'm sure someone here wouldn't mind a taste. I'm told I'm very good at what I do."  
  
Even drunk Bruno is quick and co-ordinated, thanks to his shifter genes, and he's on his feet, pushing the curtain aside before Craig has had a chance to process half of what he's actually said. Granted, this is largely because what Bruno is saying is making no sense.  
  
The message Bruno's body is sending right now, however, is unmistakable. Everything about him, his scent, the way he's holding himself, screams of availability and desperation. By the time Bruno has stepped out of the booth every alpha in the bar and quite a few of the betas are staring, and the level of lust and aggression in the place has spiked noticeably. It's like a storm front approaching and Craig can feel his hackles go up, suspects it's happening quite literally as he can feel fangs pushing through and the distant pain of knuckles cracking as his hands rearrange themselves into something more deadly.  
  
His warning growl is loud, and the arm he wraps around Bruno's waist anchors the smaller shifter against him as securely as a steel band. "We're going now," he says, both to Bruno and for the benefit of their avid audience.  
  
Craig backs toward the door, not daring to turn his back to the place right now, not the way Bruno is still as good as shouting 'take me' at anyone with the ability to listen. Only when they're safely on the street does Craig relax a little though he doesn't let go of Bruno who is now struggling and spitting curses at him.  
  
"Shut up," Craig says, trying to ignore the way Bruno feels pressed tight against him, his neck so close that if Craig wanted to he could just... But no, Bruno is drunk and angry and upset and most importantly clearly not in his right mind. "What were you trying to do? Get gang raped?" Craig asks, knowing full well the words come out harsh and mangled, from a mouth that isn't yet back to fully human even though being out of immediate danger is helping with his control.  
  
Bruno tries to struggle out of Craig's hold but it’s impossible, and Craig lets out a low growl as his claws dig into Bruno's side, giving an unmistakable warning. That and Craig's command telling him to shut up, are all that is needed to calm Bruno a little even though he doesn't particularly want to.  
  
The desire to do what Craig wants is stronger now than it was in the club, and Bruno knows it's because of his words to Craig, his _offer_. Craig hasn't thrown his words back at him, not really, and Bruno's instincts are yelling at him to press against Craig which makes him even more annoyed, despite the alcohol coursing through his system.  
  
"Let me go," he mutters at Craig. "I don't need you to hold me up and I'm not going to go back into the club." He glares at Craig. "I'm not quite that desperate."  
  
Craig makes a non-committal sound but after a moment of staring at Bruno he loosens his grip but doesn't step away from him.  
  
"Where are you staying?" he asks.  Bruno reluctantly gives him the information and a few moments later they're piling into the back of a cab, Craig's soft command to "behave" ringing in Bruno's ears.  
  
Bruno huddles into the corner of the cab, as far away from Craig as he can, doing his best to ignore the alpha and watching the scenery go past as the cab speeds towards its destination. This evening has gone from bad to worse and he really doesn't know what else can happen. He doesn't want Craig taking him back to his hotel as though he were an errant pup or an omega unable to look after himself, but it's pretty obvious from the tense way that Craig is sitting, and the way his claws haven't fully retracted, that he's still pretty pissed off.  
  
It's quite a long taxi ride, the shifter club being on the outskirts of the city and it being Saturday means the traffic is quite heavy even this time of the night. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. The warmth and quiet of the cab makes both of them relax slightly. Craig can sense that Bruno is still annoyed but he's been nothing else all evening, and right now it's being softened by the alcohol that is finally starting to take its toll.  
  
While Bruno slumps lower in the seat, not quite sleeping but clearly too worn to actively try to fight, Craig himself takes a few moments to wrestle his control back. It's easier now and he knows it's because they're away from other shifters and because he has Bruno in his sights, within touching distance. Not that he's planning on doing any touching, well not beyond the increasing probability of having to physically haul the smaller shifter into the hotel.  
  
That's not to say Craig doesn't want to. Of course he does. Bruno is attractive and fun and smart, all qualities his human side has appreciated for a while now, even though he never planned on acting on those thoughts. Working together, being friends, but still with the underlying distance Craig knew was all his own doing as he wouldn't let anyone that close out of the need to keep up the charade of being just a powerful beta like Bruno. Now though... Oh those human qualities are still there, buried under snark and alcohol at the moment of course, but that's not what's tipped the scales.  
  
Bruno had offered himself to Craig, throat bared and belly up, metaphorically at least though the body language had been there too. The fact that he had done it as some kind of taunt and dig, and out of anger and feelings of betrayal... Well, Craig's wolf side didn't care about those kinds of details one bit. It just wanted to take what was offered, pin the shifter to the nearest flat surface and...  
  
"That'll be sixty dollars," the driver says, and Craig is grateful for the interruption. Dealing with the money and pulling Bruno out of the car in front of the hotel are all reassuringly normal, human activities, in a normal human setting, that help him keep his instincts at bay.  
  
Bruno sways and when Craig's arm goes around his waist he just slumps against him, albeit with an annoyed snarl.  
  
"Yeah," Craig says. "My thoughts exactly. Now let’s get you inside."  
  
The taxi journey has tired Bruno out, and the fresh air hits him like a sledgehammer making him sway on his feet. Even though he grumbles at Craig for supporting him he's grateful for the way that Craig holds him securely.  
  
Bruno’s instincts are telling him to press close to Craig, and he can't stop himself from sniffing at Craig as he's pulled toward the hotel entrance. "You smell good," he mutters, his mouth running away with itself. He's not lying; Craig smells of leather and sweat, but underneath it all there's a deep wet scent of wolves running through an ancient forest. Bruno lowers his head, trying to concentrate on his feet and where he's going rather than on Craig and not for the first time does he wish that the night was over.  
  
Craig guides him into the hotel, and it's not long before they're stood outside Bruno's room.  It takes a number of attempts for Bruno to key in the code to his suite but finally they're inside.  
  
Craig steers Bruno in, hovering while he kicks off his shoes and out of his jacket. He is also carefully not mentioning Bruno's comments because everything he could say ('so do you', 'let me taste you', 'I'd smell even better on you') is wholly unproductive for keeping control of the situation.  
  
Thankfully, Bruno is too tired now to push it further, and Craig wonders whether the dejected slump of his shoulders is just alcohol or something else. "Go sleep it off," he says, but not unkindly, all the while herding Bruno toward the bedroom.  
  
Bruno isn't going to argue with Craig's words because all he wants to do right now is sleep and try and forget the events of the night. Hell, it's at times like this he'd like to forget that he’s a shifter, wishes he'd been born a human. Maybe Craig is right about him setting himself up to be gang raped but at least he'd have been wanted, and in the back of his mind he knows just how sick that thought is.  
  
"Let me go," he tells Craig, shrugging him off as he drops onto the bed. "I can manage from here, you don't need to stay.  Unless you want a show, that is." He stares at Craig as he starts to try and shuck out of his clothes although for some reason his clothes seem to be fighting him.  "Stupid clothes," he mutters, lying back on the bed and trying to undo the buttons on his jeans.  
  
Craig takes a careful breath, grabbing the doorframe with one hand because he needs something to ground him right now. And if his fingers morph into claws and those claws are leaving grooves on the wood, well then that's on the other side of the frame where Bruno can't see.  
  
Not that he's paying any attention right now, on his back on the bed, hips raised, shirt half off and his warm belly all soft and exposed, and Craig can smell him from here, and... Fuck, Bruno really must be drunk because there's no way he'd be putting on a show like this in front of an alpha, at least not Craig, if he was in his right mind.  
  
Craig stays just long enough to see Bruno wiggle out of his jeans before he says a brisk "good night" and retreats, shutting the door behind him firmly. He's moving on autopilot now, back out into the main room, out of the door and into the corridor, taking the stairs instead waiting for lift because he can't stand still, needs to get out of here as fast as he...  
  
Fuck. Craig gets as far as the hotel reception and then he stops, like walking into an invisible wall. He can't leave. He wants to. But he _can't_ , the wolf won't let him. Bruno is in the building and Bruno is his and every alpha instinct is screaming at Craig to stay and guard even while his human brain is pointing out the utter ridiculousness of the situation.  
  
"Fucking fuck!" he curses, loud enough to scare a couple passing by, not that he cares. Craig stands there, cursing stupid drunken betas who go about offering the impossible and not meaning it, flexing his fingers into fists as he stares longingly at the darkened street outside the lobby, utterly unable to actually walk through the hotel doors.  
  
  
***  
  
  
As the door closes behind Craig, Bruno carefully pushes himself up from the bed. Dropping his clothes on the floor he staggers to the bathroom.  
  
Craig has gone and Bruno is unsettled, the room colder than it was before.  He shakes his head a little, trying to clear his thoughts but immediately regrets it. He cannot remember the last time he was quite this drunk.  
  
He pisses and then moves over to the basin to wash his hands. Bruno stares at himself in the mirror, and the wolf stares right back.  
  
It is rare for Bruno to lose control like this, although it is only his eyes that have changed; the wolf's silvery green leeching into the brown of the human irises.  
  
Bruno grips the side of the wash basin and simply stares. His wolf is ridiculously close to the surface, instincts and emotions overtaking the human and it's all he can do to stop from throwing his head back and howling his loss that Craig is no longer here!  
  
It's still in the bathroom for a few moments, whilst Bruno tries to wrestle his wolf back under control. The last thing he wants to do right now is shift even more and follow after Craig. That would most definitely cause an incident, and it's not as if he even knows where Craig lives although he has his scent and could follow him as long as Craig was on foot.  
  
His wolf does not want to be quiet but Bruno isn't a strong beta for nothing and eventually the wolf acquiesces. Well as much as possible when it's so pissed off. Bruno can almost hear it snarling, quiet and resentful inside his head. Usually he doesn’t think of himself in such dualistic terms – he is the wolf and the wolf is he – but then usually there isn’t such a disconnect between what he wants and what he should do either.  
  
Bruno washes face and then heads into the lounge area of his suite. It's pointless even bothering to take headache tablets as his metabolism will simply burn them up before they have any effect. Instead, Bruno takes a couple of bottles of cold water from the fridge and heads back to bed.  He's shivering slightly, although not from cold, and wrapping himself securely in the bed covers Bruno closes his eyes, willing himself to sleep.  
  
  
***  
  
  
There's nothing else to it; Craig can either stay in the lobby, muttering curses to himself like a lunatic and quite likely drawing the interest of the staff even more (already the receptionist is eyeing him in a way that suggests she's considering calling the security), or he can turn tail and go back to Bruno's suite, where he can at least have his mental breakdown without an audience. One thing is certain: Craig is not going home tonight.  
  
With an annoyed huff he doubles back to the staircase, climbing them slowly to Bruno's floor. There's silence on the other side of the door, which suggests Bruno has gone to bed, hopefully passing out, although Craig is not expecting his luck to hold out that much. Getting in is easy enough since Bruno took several tries to get his code right, giving plenty of time to Craig to memorise it without meaning to. Or perhaps he had meant to, subconsciously, and isn't that just peachy.  
  
Craig ignores the way his wolf side has calmed down as soon as he's sharing space with Bruno again, able to smell him clearly. The bedroom door is closed but Craig picks up the increased heartbeat as Bruno alerts to someone entering the rooms. However, he obviously realises who it is as there is no further reaction. Craig is a little surprised by that, almost expects Bruno to come barrelling through the door, fangs bared and demanding to know what the hell Craig is doing intruding like this but... nothing happens.  
  
In the end, Craig gives up standing in the middle of the lounge on full alert and kicks off his shoes and takes off his jacket, settling on the sofa. He's clearly here for the night, might as well get comfortable. Sleep though... well, that's another matter entirely.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Bruno comes instantly alert as his territory is breached, and he pushes the sheets back ready to attack when he realises that the intruder is Craig. He hadn't really been sleeping, just dosing fitfully, the room too warm.  
  
He tenses though wondering if Craig is going to come into the room but after a few moments he realises that's not the case.  Bruno settles back into the bed, calmer now that Craig is here. Putting the sheets back over him he turns toward the bedroom door and closes his eyes, listening to Craig.  It takes a little while before Craig's breathing slows and deepens, and finally Bruno is able to sleep.  
  
  
***  
  
  
In the end Craig does sleep, albeit fitfully, snatches here and there, startling awake at every sound; someone walking past the door, a car horn outside. He finally gives up around seven am, getting up with a groan. The sofa in Bruno's suite looks far more comfortable than it actually is, at least for sleeping.  
  
Gingerly, he stretches and contemplates the value of having a shower even though it means getting back into his less than fresh clothes afterwards. Bruno is still sleeping though, which Craig knows because he's been keeping half an ear on his heartbeat and breathing all night, so in the end he gives into the lure of hot water.  
  
First though, he orders breakfast, going straight to the largest option on the shifter menu. Bruno is going to need food when he wakes up, his body having used up plenty of calories during the night, processing that amount of alcohol.  
  
On the way to the bathroom, Craig pauses outside the bedroom door, laying both his palms against it and just letting his senses drift toward the sleeping beta, and sink in deep. Maybe he should've done that earlier, because those two minutes of indulgence leave him feeling calmer than the night spent tossing and turning had. He still doesn't know what to think about the whole situation, not helped by the fact that his wolf side doesn't see anything to think about here at all and is simply urging him to act. A desirable beta has made an offer and it's alpha's instinct to accept that, in the most explicit way possible; by claiming what's his.  
  
But Craig knows that it's not that simple, not really, and so he leaves Bruno to sleep and goes to drown his troubled thoughts in the hot shower.  
  
  
***  
  
  
It's the intrusion into his territory again, this time by a stranger, that brings Bruno up and out of the bed, his hands flexing into claws. Bruno stalks to the closed bedroom door and pulls it open, snarling as he does.  
  
There's a startled yelp and all that Bruno sees of the intruder is his back as he hurtles out of the door, slamming it behind him.  
  
Bruno stalks over to the door and pulls it open again, checking to make sure that his territory really is safe now. The corridor is empty and he breathes for a moment before turning back into the room and closing the door behind him.  
  
Craig stands, staring at him, hands on his hips and Bruno stares back for a moment before noting what he hasn't before: the tantalising smell of food coming from the table in the corner of the room.  
  
"Well done for traumatising the waiter," Craig remarks drily, "I'm sure he'll be full of stories about crazy shifters back in the kitchen." The sarcasm is on autopilot, for which Craig is grateful. It creates a distraction, a little normality where none seems to exist in this strange new reality where Bruno wanders under his nose, dressed in nothing but skin and a slowly disappearing strip of fur along his spine.  
  
It's Bruno's genuine startlement at the situation, and the cautious look he throws Craig's way, that saves him from being pinned to the floor. Craig's control is good, but he wasn't expecting a display like this first thing in the morning. Or ever, for that matter. Still, he can stop himself from moving, but he can't stop himself from looking, and he definitely can't stop himself from wanting - that much had dawned on him during the long restless hours last night.  
  
The atmosphere changes, becoming tenser as Craig stares at him and Bruno can feel his hackles starting to rise on the back of his neck. It's been a very long time since he stood naked in front of an alpha, showing off really albeit unintentionally, and he takes a slow step back and then another, away from Craig.  
  
Craig growls softly and Bruno halts his retreat. He curls his fingers into his palms, the claws digging into his skin and lets Craig continue his slow perusal of Bruno's body. Bruno wants to drop to the floor, to show his submission, especially as it begins to dawn on him just what he did last night. Getting up in an alpha's face is not something that's done in their culture. Certainly not by a beta.  
  
That and the fact that he's now parading naked in front of Craig, and Bruno knows that he's in trouble. His actions of the previous night and now are a sure fire way to get him beaten down, and if Craig was anything like the alphas in Bruno's home pack that would have happened by now. The smell of want from Craig is stronger now, curling through the room and over Bruno's skin and as Craig takes a step toward him Bruno stills. He's shivering, feeling jittery and vulnerable and wants nothing more than to hide in his room, away from Craig's eyes and his presence.  
  
Craig growls again, but this time in frustration, mostly at himself. There's a part of him, a big part, that is both annoyed and impressed that Bruno isn't on the floor yet. He's strong, and Craig likes that, but at the same time he wants to press further to see what it takes, remembers the easy way Bruno had bared his throat and belly last night, even if only in taunt and then in drunken carelessness, and Craig wants that again.  
  
Another step forward and Bruno's gaze drops to the floor and his knees start to buckle and Craig knows, _knows_ , that he could have it, have Bruno, right now on the hotel carpet while the breakfast cools on the table and no one would come running no matter how much Bruno screamed because this is shifter business and no human is going to intervene there if they value their life.  
  
Craig exhales slowly, forcing himself into stillness, forcing himself to acknowledge the fear that's emanating from the smaller shifter. His human side is appalled. The alpha in him is worried and confused too, once the initial need for dominance passes. Carefully, he takes a step back, turning slightly away.  
  
"Go get dressed," he says gruffly. "The food's getting cold."  
  
Bruno relaxes slightly as Craig shifts his attention away from him and he slowly moves to his bedroom, keeping his eyes on the alpha the whole time. Craig follows him first with his gaze but then he turns his back on Bruno and walks over to the corner of the room where the breakfast is set out.  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief, Bruno slips into the bedroom. He leaves the door open so Craig doesn't react to being closed out, and within a short period of time he's dressed in a soft worn t-shirt and joggers. There's nothing that Bruno would like more than a shower right now, a large mug of strong coffee and some meat, but it appears as though he's only going to get two of those at the moment. And he's going to have to sit opposite Craig.  
  
"Oh _dio mio_ ," he breathes, sinking down onto the bed and dropping his head into his hands. He really has put his foot in it, hasn’t he? Offering himself to an alpha, to somebody who is a friend... What had he been thinking? And although he hasn't been claimed neither has the offer been rejected.  
  
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Bruno mutters as he wraps his arms around his stomach and starts to rock, wishing right now that he had pack mates he could curl up with, who would protect him. But that's something that has been denied to him for a long time, years in fact.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Craig fidgets, unable to settle. Bruno's distress grates at his nerves like blunt claws scratching and scratching endlessly, without rest. Every instinct is shouting at him to act, to do something to alleviate the situation, but he doesn't know what would work. If Bruno truly was his beta, or a claimed mate, Craig would have no problem in just pinning him down and physically forcing him to calm. And if Bruno was still nothing but a friend, Craig could go in and talk to him. But this no man's land, this no wolf's country, that they're stuck in, has him at a loss.  
  
Craig knows that Bruno's upset is partly because of him, and partly because of the situation, and for Craig to go in there acting like an alpha – like he just had and look where that had got them! – was only going to make things worse.  
  
After turning around in circles – literally, and isn't that just icing on the cake – for a few minutes and listening to Bruno's panicked breathing, Craig finally stumbles on an idea. Bruno needs comforting but he's unlikely to accept it from Craig, at least not as he is now, their human fears and doubts getting in the way. But wolves view the world much more simply. And if Craig can connect directly to that side, he might just be able to normalise the situation.  
  
Decision made, Craig doesn't hesitate, quickly stripping out of his clothes. Only alphas can fully shift outside of full moon, and even then with difficulty. Partial transformation is easier, particularly in times of high stress when it can happen without conscious effort. However, pushing fully over without the pull of the moon, takes blunt strength. Craig turns his attention inwards, tapping into the need to go to the aid of a pack mate, his beta, and he can think like that now because the wolf has no other concepts for it. The feel of bone and muscle shifting is as nauseating as always, the pain deep and oddly pure, and Craig grunts, dropping to all fours, pushing, pushing, through the hurt and the humanity, right to the beast within.  
  
And without.  
  
It's over in minutes. Still panting from the effort Craig gets up, claws clicking against the floor as he pads toward the bedroom, pushing the door fully open with his nose.  
  
Bruno is so caught up in his misery that he doesn't even realise somebody else, or something else, is in the room with him until a nose pokes him on the side. Bruno drops his hands and lifts his head, looking at the wolf that's joined him. It's a surprise to see that Craig has shifted, but perhaps it shouldn't be; the other shifter is an alpha after all and can change when he wants.  
  
Craig is large, larger than Bruno in his shifter form but that shouldn’t be a surprise either.  He's a very handsome wolf; tan and brown with black tipped guard hair and ears, the colour fading to pale tan, almost cream, on his legs. Craig's eyes are yellow and frighteningly intelligent as they stare up at Bruno. Bruno puts out hand to stroke Craig, and then pulls it back, not sure whether it will be allowed.  
  
The wolf makes a noise, almost like a snort. It's been a long time since Bruno's been around another wolf in shifter form and it feels comfortable, safe, and Bruno slips down onto the floor to sit next to him. Closing his eyes Bruno leans against Craig. Craig huffs but Bruno doesn't care. This feels right and as they sit together Bruno starts to calm down. Tentatively he strokes his hand down Craig's back wondering how Craig would react if he scratched his ears. Not something that he intends to attempt without permission.  It's nice though, just sitting like this and stroking Craig.  Wolves are by nature tactile, and Bruno is very tactile as a human. It's just a long time since he's been able to be like this with another wolf.  
  
  
***  
  
  
His beta is calmer now, the sour smell of anxiety fading, and his hands feel nice on Craig's back, stroking steadily. After a while Craig yawns, a big, teeth-baring one, and gets up. He sticks his nose into Bruno's neck, then his arm pit, finally giving his crotch a quick sniff too. Everything smells good, normal, not ill or scared, just sleep stale and lingering alcohol which makes Craig sneeze.  
  
He's hungry now though and the steak in the other room is calling. He glances at the doorway, then back at Bruno, impatient. Nothing happens, the man simply staring at him, surprise and amusement evident in his scent and body language. If Craig was in his human form he'd be rolling his eyes, but as a wolf he simply yips impatiently and licks Bruno's face quickly, startling a bark-like laugh. Carefully, Craig takes Bruno's t-shirt between his teeth and tugs.  
  
And that... is pretty self-explanatory.  Bruno laughs again and pushes up from the floor.  "Alright, alright I'm coming," he tells Craig. "The food isn't going to be particularly nice now in any event I imagine. It will probably be lukewarm and dry." Craig doesn't let go, simply tugs him toward the lounge and Bruno follows.  
  
Bruno expects Craig to change back when they reach the food but he doesn't, instead settling against Bruno's side as Bruno sits, and leaning against his leg.  "You're heavy," Bruno tells him which Craig completely ignores continuing to press against him.  
  
"Now let’s see what you ordered because I'm starving." He really is very hungry as a result of the previous night and protein is needed in large quantities. He drops his hand and automatically starts to scratch Craig's ears not realising at first what he's doing until Craig catches his hand lightly in his mouth.  "Sorry," Bruno mutters thinking that he's transgressed yet again. This whole situation is awkward but he prefers Craig in wolf form at the moment to human form.  
  
He leans over and lifts the lids of the dishes pleased that they'd been placed on trays to keep them warm. Craig clearly thought he needed feeding up as a veritable feast of steak, lamb chops, bacon and sausage is laid on the table, so much meat that it's bordering ridiculous. At least there's some thought given to what human's might need and a large bowl of mushrooms and roasted tomatoes is also included.  
  
"Really, Craig," Bruno comments.  "Anybody would think that there were two shifters here."  He puts together a plate of meat for Craig first and it feels a little weird putting it on the floor as though Craig were a pet dog but it looks like Craig isn't prepared to change back just yet.  
  
Bruno pours a cup of coffee for himself and sits and waits to see whether or not Craig will eat. Alphas always eat first in every pack, and he won't touch the food until Craig has.  
  
Craig tears into the meat like, well, like the wolf that he is, only pausing half way to check Bruno is eating too. Which he is, though more slowly and ineffectually, hampered by blunt human teeth. Regardless, they get through most of the food in record time.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Craig is content for the moment; food and his beta and a safe place to rest are all he needs for now and even though it's not quite his own territory it smells of Bruno and that's calming.  
  
When Bruno sits on the sofa, cradling another cup of coffee and seemingly disinclined to do or demand anything, Craig jumps up next to him. He turns in a circle a few times, heedless of stepping on Bruno's legs, finally settling with his front paws and head over them.  
  
This way he'll know if Bruno moves and if someone comes too close he's between them and his beta.  
  
As Craig parks himself on his legs, Bruno's feels safe and settled in a way that he hasn't for a very long time. Finishing his coffee he places the mug on the side table and rests his head on the back of the sofa.  His wolf is quiet and happy, and Bruno knows that it's because no matter what he might think of the situation, as far as his wolf is concerned its alpha is here.  
  
There's a not so small twinge of envy at how alphas can shift at any time, but it's an old envy. Bruno thinks about how much he'd like to change right now and curl up with Craig; just two wolves together. Things are simpler in wolf form, but he can't. He's only a beta and can only change at the full moon.  Oh, as a strong beta, a prime one, he can partially shift at other times, but it’s normally at times of extreme pressure, distress or danger.  
  
Bruno's mouth has a bitter twist to it as he looks down at the shifted Craig. The fact that he wasn't an alpha was yet another way in which he'd disappointed his parents; the alpha pair of his pack. Not the required alpha. Only a beta, although strong enough to be a prime, but that hadn't been good enough for them. That and being gay and it's really no wonder that Bruno no longer goes home, hasn't for a very long time. Essentially he is packless. Even his wolf colour is an anomaly in the area of Italy his pack hails from, the black a complete difference to the typical grey colour.  
  
Bruno sighs; it's an old hurt and pointless dwelling on it. Craig lifts his head and stares up at him and it's pretty obvious that he's disturbed by the emotions that Bruno is feeling.  "I'm sorry," he tells Craig, stroking over his fur again, the movement relaxing him.  "It's nothing important. Just something that's never going to change. I'm tired," he continues, "but we know why that is. Way too much alcohol." Craig huffs and Bruno smiles. "Yes I know, but it was needed."  
  
Craig snorts again as though in disagreement but then he drops his head back onto Bruno's lap, and nope Bruno's not thinking about that position at all. He closes his eyes.  "Just a few moments," he mutters.  
  
  
  
***

 

It's not a few moments though, that's obvious from the way the light has faded as Bruno opens his eyes. It's been a few hours at least and his internal clock tells him that it's now late afternoon, heading toward dusk. He cricks his neck which is protesting his sleeping in this position and looks down at Craig.  
  
And looks, and looks, because Craig is... No longer. In. Wolf form. He has shifted back to human whilst sleeping, which says a lot for how secure he must have felt as well. Bruno takes a long while looking at Craig, because, let's be honest, there’s plenty to see. He's always thought Craig was good looking, and during their first few years on Strictly when they shared a dressing room, before they became _'important'_ enough to be assigned their own rooms, he'd seen glimpses of Craig's skin, but Craig has always been very careful to not be naked around him.  
  
"Have you quite finished," Craig's tone is fond and Bruno's gaze snaps back from Craig's backside, which is pretty fine, to see that Craig is looking up at him.  
  
"For the moment," he shrugs. "If you put it on display Craig then I am going to look. That's how I am. You know that."  
  
To be honest, Craig had not expected to wake up back in human form, but he refuses to feel awkward or embarrassed about it. Clearly the food and the nap had done wonders to both their dispositions, enough so that he feels quite at ease lounging buck naked against Bruno's legs.  
  
Well. Mostly. Because having Bruno against him like this, their smells completely mingled now, is causing a certain part of his anatomy to start taking interest. Craig remembers well the way Bruno had frozen and then hid earlier when faced with Craig's desire, and he doesn't want to undo what little progress they have made. Time to get up and get dressed then.  
  
"Yes, an incorrigible letch," Craig comments but even he can hear that there is no actual censure in his voice. If Bruno was ogling his body then well, maybe his offer last night wasn't entirely meaningless.  
  
Bruno huffs and pokes a finger into Craig's side, making him jerk in surprise. He's ticklish, which is perhaps not the kind of feature one associates with formidable alphas but there it is. Unfortunately, Bruno seems to hone in on that little fact quickly, his expression turning gleeful as he runs fingers over Craig's ribs, making him bark in laughter and flail until he falls off Bruno and the sofa, landing on the floor in an undignified heap.  
  
"Ah, the legendary grace and elegance of alphas. I may swoon," Bruno remarks, peering down at him with a grin.  
  
"I'll catch you," Craig says and then grimaces internally because really, could that have been any cheesier.  
  
Luckily Bruno only snorts. Craig watches his eyes flick down and then quickly back, but clearly noting evidence of Craig's interest. He's not fully hard, but getting there. Or would be if he let himself. Judging from the way Bruno avoids his gaze that's not going to happen.  
  
With a sigh Craig gets up and heads for his clothes, starting to pull them on. "So," he says. "How long are you staying in town?"  
  
Bruno carefully looks at anything but Craig, and it's with relief when Craig is finally dressed.  He's beginning to get hungry again, normally by now he's had a couple of meals at least and his tummy is starting to rumble.  
  
"Well I have an open ticket," he says. "I'd thought I might stay a month, maybe go out to a couple of the islands as well.  Basically," he stretches his legs out in front of him, "I thought I'd just chill for a little bit and, you know, do the tourist thing. I don't have to be back in the UK for a couple of months.  Why? You planning on showing me the sights Craig?" His tone is a little sarcastic.  
  
 "Yeah, I can do that," Craig says distractedly. He's got something else besides tourist attractions in his mind, and he doesn't think Bruno is going to like it.  
  
Then again, he doesn't have to. He just has to do what Craig tells him.  
  
Craig grimaces internally at his obnoxious alpha instincts, but what can you do.  
  
"You don't have to spend the month in a hotel room," Craig says finally, looking at Bruno from the corner of his eye while he flips through the room service menu. "I have a place."  
  
Bruno slowly puts down his own menu and looks up at Craig. Craig had better not be suggesting what he thinks he is.  
  
"I see," he says. "And I'm very pleased for you Craig, but I can't see what that has to do with me. I have some plans as to what I want to do over the next month. Thought I'd take the tour to Phillip Island to see the penguins, and this remains an excellent base for me."  
  
He shrugs, trying to ignore the smell of annoyance and lingering lust that's emanating from Craig. "Look, why don't we just forget what happened last night, Craig? To be honest, I'd rather not think about it again. Let's just call it one of those moments of madness brought on by alcohol. Yeah?"  
  
And just like that the calm and easy companionship is shattered. It's nothing Craig hadn't expected, but it still hurts to hear Bruno say it out loud. He growls, in frustration, anger, disappointment, all of it rolling together through throat and teeth that are not quite human any more.  
  
"Is that what you want?" he asks, staring at the table top, smelling nothing but defiance from Bruno.  
  
No! That really isn't what Bruno wants but it’s pointless even telling Craig what he wants. Because no matter what he might like it's not going to happen. If Craig had wanted him he would have claimed Bruno last night. That's the way of things.  
  
"Isn't that what I said?" His tone challenges Craig and he can see him tense. "Last night was a mistake, Craig."  
  
Craig closes his eyes briefly and just breathes. The wolf inside him is growling, hackles up, confused too.  
  
It doesn't matter.  
  
Craig picks up the phone and calls the reception, ordering a taxi in 15 minutes. Then he tells them that Mr Tonioli will be checking out immediately and to send someone up to pack his belongings after they're gone.  
  
He distantly registers Bruno's outraged protestations, as if through a thick wall. "Put proper clothes on," he tells him, walking to the bedroom and opening the wardrobe and pulling out a clean shirt.  
  
Bruno curses at him and Craig blinks. "Either get dressed or come barefoot," he says.  
  
It's not until Bruno actually physically tries to stop Craig from throwing things into an overnight bag that he snaps, and even then it feels muted, like he's both in control and so very, very not.  
  
Another blink and Bruno is against the wall, Craig's forearm across his throat, hard enough to restrict breathing. There had been a moment earlier when Craig could have pushed his dominance and put Bruno in his place but hadn't.  
  
And maybe that had been his mistake, maybe this whole thing would've been sorted to everyone's satisfaction by now if he'd let the wolf do the right thing instead of allowing his human considerations to get in the way. Bruno is a beta. Bruno is a beta who has offered himself to Craig, and therefore is his, and Craig is not inclined to 'forget all about it'.  
  
Bruno is a beta. Craig is an alpha. They both know exactly how this is going to go.  
  
Craig growls, a deep rumbling sound that rises from his chest. Then he says one word: "Yield."  
  
Bruno swallows, his mouth inexplicably dry. He doesn't understand why he's pushing Craig quite so much and his wolf is both confused and very unhappy right now. He takes a shallow breath, anything deeper is impossible with the way Craig's arm is pressing against his throat and restricting his oxygen. Craig presses a little harder and before he even realises what he's doing his hands are wrapped around Craig's arm.  
  
Craig growls, the tone carrying a note of anger and Bruno drops his hands pressing them against the wall. If he were in his wolf form he knows he'd be on his back right now, showing his belly.  
  
His body arches up to Craig and he pushes his throat against Craig's arm. It hurts, his breath catching but it also feels good. His alpha is angry with him and Bruno whimpers as he yields, sagging against the wall.  
  
Craig holds the position for a while longer. He'd be lying if he said he said he didn't enjoy the way Bruno's body trembles and relaxes against him, open and vulnerable. And when Craig finally eases off Bruno slides down to the floor, slumping against the wall in an awkward half-sitting, half-kneeling position.  
  
The alpha in him is crowing with pleasure and the rightness of it and Craig lets himself just look for a while, not moving. Finally he drops his hand on Bruno's head, giving his hair a quick stroke before stepping away.  
  
"C'mon," he says. "Get dressed. The taxi is probably already waiting."  
  
Bruno gets up wordlessly, picking up his clothes and going to the bathroom to change. He doesn't close the door fully which pacifies Craig enough and he lets Bruno have his privacy. A point has been made and he's not going to push it further. He'll have Bruno in his house, on his territory, soon and that's going to have to be enough for now.  
  
Bruno's hands are shaking as he changes, pulling on the clothes that Craig has put out for him, trying to be as quick as possible and not piss off Craig anymore. Craig is a lot stronger than he thought he would be and Bruno feels very vulnerable right now. He runs his hands through his hair and then goes back into the lounge where Craig is waiting for him, bag in hand.  
  
Bruno takes a quick look around the lounge, even though he's only been here for a few days this is still his space. His territory and he doesn't particularly like leaving it like this, at another's command but there is really no choice in the matter for him.  
  
"Here," Craig gives him a once over before passing Bruno's jacket to him. "You should put that on, it's not that warm outside."  It's not a suggestion, and Bruno obeys pulling the jacket on. He keeps his head down showing his submission to the other wolf. Not that he particularly wants to look Craig in the eyes right now.  
  
"Come on," Craig tells him placing his hand on Bruno's shoulder.  "I've gotten your essentials in this," he lifts the overnight bag he's carrying. "The rest of it will be sent over later."  
  
The touch from Craig cheers Bruno a little, certainly his wolf. After all if the alpha were still angry with him he wouldn't touch Bruno.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Bruno is quiet on the ride over, which Craig both expects and accepts. He fills the silence by talking about the house, how it has belonged to his family for over a century and while he's cut formal ties to any packs here, it wasn't hostile so him keeping a bit of territory for himself is not a problem. He ends up telling Bruno far more about his past than he intends to, random stories of his childhood, his marriage even, but in a way it's only fair; a way to start making up for keeping a big part of him hidden for so long.  
  
Craig feels better as soon as they pull up outside the house and he all but herds Bruno out of the taxi and up the stairs. Bruno hesitates on the threshold but Craig nudges him inside unceremoniously, focusing on disabling the alarm and picking up the small pile of junk mail that has managed to form within a single day.  
  
Having Bruno in his territory feels right and Craig doesn't even try to suppress the urge he has to check the perimeter. "Kitchen's that way," he tells Bruno, pointing. "Help yourself. I'm just going to..." He waves toward the rest of the house and the garden visible through the patio doors.  
  
Granted, Craig's only been away a day, but he's come back with someone to protect and the need to prowl the edges of his territory and check everything is secure is too much, and Craig's alpha instincts, having had free reign recently, are not going to be satisfied until he's done just that.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Bruno watches Craig exit through the patio windows and then, dropping his bag on the floor, he heads to the kitchen. The house is bright, with tall windows and although it quite clearly is Craig's territory Bruno feels at ease.  
  
After rooting through the cupboards and the fridge, he sets some coffee to brew and makes up a couple of plates of bread, meat and crisps. Bruno knows that if he is hungry, Craig will be too.  
  
Bruno takes a seat at the island in the centre of the kitchen and watches Craig through the windows as he quite clearly patrols the garden. He places a slice of meat onto some bread and folds it over, stuffing it into his mouth. Craig has told him to 'help himself' so Bruno doesn't intend to wait for the alpha to arrive and eat first.  
  
No matter that he has acquiesced Bruno really does not want to be here.  Well that's not quite true; he does and he doesn't. He's still feeling a little unsure, and has no idea quite how this is going to pan out for them. How he wants it to pan out. In the meantime he can do nothing but wait and see, like he is waiting for Craig to come back inside.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Craig walks the edge of the garden, testing the padlock on the back gate and talking himself out of literally pissing on the fence because that's not really the done thing anymore, not in human form anyway. Satisfied that the back yard is secure, he ducks back inside, and repeats the circuit of all the rooms, satisfied to find windows latched and the house exactly the way he left it.  
  
Well. Except for one somewhat sulky beta in his kitchen, currently making coffee Craig's nose tells him. He considers having a silent 'what the hell are you doing' breakdown right there in the hallway but the problem is that he knows exactly what he's doing, and that's having his beta under his roof. So instead, Craig goes to the spare bedroom, opening the door and window to air it out and putting a pile of fresh linen on the stripped bed.  
  
Back in the kitchen he's happy to see Bruno sitting down, methodically working his way through a plateful of sandwiches. He's even happier to see another plate waiting for him. "Thank you," he says, and focuses on satisfying his hunger.  
  
They don't try to make small talk but under the table Craig stretches his leg casually and lets it rest against Bruno's. It's not quite what he wants to do but it will have to suffice for now. After they've eaten Craig clears his throat though. "I'll show you the spare bedroom," he says, getting up.  
  
Bruno's mouth tightens unhappily but he doesn't say anything, just rises to his feet.  
  
Picking up his weekend bag, with the small amount of items in it that Craig had packed, and yeah Bruno is still pissed about that, he follows Craig down the corridor to the spare room. Craig hovers a little uncertainly in the centre of what is a rather nice room, Bruno won't deny it: large and bright with a door leading out onto what he presumes is the garden.  
  
"I've put out some linen for you," Craig tells him. Rather unnecessarily Bruno thinks. "There's a bathroom through there," he points to the door in the corner of the room, "and the door will take you outside. When you've done sorting yourself out, I'll be in the kitchen." The _waiting for you_ is silent but the instruction is implicit. Bruno nods and moves to one side to let Craig leave the room, although Craig still manages to brush against him as he exits.  
  
This time Bruno closes the door, shutting Craig out. Wanting nothing more than a moment or two to try and compose himself, and deal with what's happening.  Bruno rubs his hands over his eyes and looks around the room again, thinking perhaps he should be grateful Craig has given him a space of his own. At least that's what his human side of his brain is saying.  The wolf side, well that's not so happy about not sleeping with its alpha.  Bruno mutters softly in Italian, dropping the bag on the floor and heading over to the bed to make it. Once that's done he'll go and join Craig. As instructed.  
  
  
***  
  
  
It's been a couple of weeks since Bruno moved in. Or, to be more precise, since Craig moved him in. But really he had no other options. Or at least no other options that were in any way palatable to an alpha wolf.  
  
They have settled into a routine of sorts. Craig gets up at least an hour earlier than Bruno so they rarely eat breakfast together, each preferring to spend the morning in solitude, either checking up on work things, the news, or just reading a book. No matter what though, Craig is constantly aware of where Bruno is and what he's doing; tracking his scent and movements automatically. He wonders if it's the same for Bruno but doesn't ask.  
  
They tend to come together for lunch though, often followed by an afternoon of sight-seeing or shopping. Craig has made good on his promise of showing Bruno the city and they spend quite a bit of time out, though staying clear from any obvious shifter places. It takes a few days but eventually Craig lets Bruno venture out on his own, knowing full well that he doesn't have a claim to keep him at his side all the time.  
  
'And whose fault is that, for not claiming him properly?' his wolf asks pointedly and Craig has to admit it's a valid question. Bruno hasn't left, which must say something, but his 'let’s just forget about it' still echoes in Craig's mind every time he thinks about bringing it up. So they just don't talk about it. Or do anything about it.  
  
It's not the healthiest of situations, Craig knows, but it could be worse. It is what it is and right now it’s three days before the full moon and both of them are feeling the pull. Craig has a solution he thinks is a good one, but he still needs to convince Bruno of it. He'd prefer not to have to order Bruno to come with him even if a part of him still relishes the feel of putting the smaller shifter to the floor and an excuse to do that again would not be... entirely unwelcome.  
  
***  
  
Bruno closes the front door and leans his back against it, trying to calm his breathing and to stop himself from digging his claws into the wood. He's extremely agitated right now, so much that his wolf is riding him hard, wanting nothing more than to turn back and deal with the situation he'd managed to walk away from.  
  
It would have been easier to stay in the house, especially with the full moon on the horizon, but Bruno wasn't sure that spending all of it with Craig would have been a good idea.  They've been tiptoeing around each other for the last couple of days and closer they get to the full moon, the harder it becomes. So he'd gone out shopping, thinking that it might take his mind off things, off Craig, but unfortunately it hadn't worked. It was a sod's law that in a shopping centre he'd run into a group of teenage shifters.  
  
It was a clear example, yet again, of how shifter cultures could differ. In the area of Italy that Bruno hailed from, werewolf parents would keep their teenagers in a week before the full moon, knowing full well that most of the time they simply weren't controlled or mature enough to calm their wolves.  
  
But here, in Australia, that didn't seem to be the case. Bruno hadn't even registered the teenagers at first, wandering around an expensive designer shop, finally settling on a couple of shirts he thought Craig might like.  It annoyed him that he was thinking about Craig, wondering whether Craig would like the clothes on him but he couldn't stop it. So when he'd paid for his purchases and turned to head out of the store, he'd been surprised and perturbed to see the teenage group lounging around the entrance.  
  
They'd been a few comments as Bruno left, particularly from a couple of baby alphas wanting to know what Bruno was doing intruding into _their territory_. Shaking his head, Bruno had tried to ignore them but it had been difficult and the group had followed him through the shopping centre, making comments; taunting and finally… trying to touch. That had done it.  
  
Bruno had simply turned and pushed one of the baby alphas against the wall, letting him know in no uncertain terms exactly what he thought of rude, ignorant alphas who didn't know how to behave.  The boy – for that’s what he was, barely seventeen – had been so shocked that he'd simply stayed put, staring at Bruno as he turned away and left as quickly as he could.  
  
Problem was his wolf was up, and angry, and the thought of being touched by another alpha, even a baby one, had gotten it extremely agitated.  Bruno closes his eyes for a moment and then pushes away from the door, knowing that Craig was in the house and probably wondering why the heck Bruno was taking up residence against the front door.  
  
With a sigh and a resigned shake of his head, Bruno finally heads to his room.  Shucking out of his jacket and shoes, he puts the bags down and goes to look for Craig.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Craig looks up when Bruno pushes the patio door open, ready to say something friendly and meaningless, but then he takes his first proper lungful of Bruno's scent, and he's up from his chair, lips drawn back over his teeth. "What happened?" he asks, taking a second sniff and smelling another wolf there, under Bruno's clear agitation. "Who _touched_ you?"  
  
This close to the full moon his control is on a hair trigger and something like this... The fact that Bruno ends up backed against the garden table is hardly a surprise. Craig feels his face lengthening into a part muzzle that allows him to smell even better. And what he smells make a deep rumble of displeasure start somewhere in his chest, bleeding out in a growl.  
  
Bruno shivers at the brief touch of Craig's muzzle against his neck. That and the growl would normally result in the baring of his neck to his alpha, but he needs to calm Craig down.  
  
He strokes his hand down Craig's arm, the one holding him against the garden table, hoping his touch will help. It should.  
  
"Calm down, Craig," he says. "It was some obnoxious puppy, nothing more. A puppy feeling the pull of the moon and unable to handle it. I'd be a piss poor excuse of a prime if I couldn't put someone like that on their knees, even when they are an alpha."  
  
Craig is still growling though, Bruno's words not having much of an effect; nothing might now except for Craig to cover the foreign scent with his own. Bruno thanks god that Craig isn't one of those alphas who feel the need to actually piss on their beta to mark them.  
  
"Here." He moves his hand and starts to unbutton his shirt, which isn't easy to do with Craig pressed against him. "He didn't do anything, Craig. He was just pushing it, that's all. Just calm down and smell me properly." Bruno finally manages to undo the shirt fully and pushes the material back from his body, exposing his chest to Craig.  
  
Craig doesn't even really hear the words, the exposed skin is invitation enough and he presses his nose against Bruno's chest, inhaling deeply. There's nothing there that isn't familiar though; Bruno's own scent and those of Craig's house, and that helps. He moves lower, unable to stop himself until he's kneeling in front of Bruno, literally rubbing his face against his stomach, still growling softly.  
  
Distantly, he hears Bruno making a sound that's almost pained, but he's trapped between Craig's hands, still curled around the edge of the table and bracketing Bruno between them. It's pure instinct that makes Craig taste Bruno's skin, firm flesh between his canines as he bites down low on his side, near the hip, not hard, not enough to mark, just... a little, to check.  
  
"Fuck, fuck, Craig," Bruno gasps out at the feel of Craig's teeth. It certainly wasn't expected, but it's not unwanted and Bruno tries to push closer to Craig even though it hurts, his instinctive reaction is wanting Craig to mark him; to bite down properly and claim him.  
  
He sags a little in Craig's hold, back pressing harder into the table and his head falls back, baring his neck. "Please," he whimpers, "please, Craig." Bruno's not really sure what he's asking for. Whether he wants Craig to stop, or to carry on with what he's doing right now.  
  
For a few seconds it’s touch and go, and Craig teeters on the edge. It would be so easy to just close his teeth until he tastes blood, leave a wound that scars, and there's something about Bruno's scent that tells him it would not be entirely unwelcome. Underneath it all there's arousal, and it's tempting, so very tempting, to move his head just a little and trail his mouth even lower.  
  
With no little effort Craig wrenches himself away, panting, licking his lips like he's tasting the imaginary blood. He looks up, whines low in his throat at the sight of Bruno's exposed neck and scrambles back.  
  
"Full moon," he grits out, still crouched low, face not quite human, claws digging into the wooden planks as he fights the pull to just shift completely. It would be so easy now and not doing it is like swimming against a current. "You," he adds, though he doesn't really know what he means. "I can't..."  
  
It's a shock seeing Craig like this, almost out of control and Bruno does the only thing that he can do. His legs are feeling shaky in any event and it's easy to drop to his knees, crouching down at the same level as Craig.  
  
This close to the full moon, and to his alpha, and it's easier for him to part shift than it would normally be. Bruno takes his shirt off, dropping it on the ground and closes his eyes. He concentrates hard, letting his wolf come completely to the forefront and take control.  
  
All he wants to do right now is to calm Craig down and Bruno whimpers at the pain as fur pushes through on his back, teeth dropping down and elongating into fangs. He crawls forward on his hands and knees until he's at Craig's side.  "I know," he whispers. The words are thick but then he is talking through a mouthful of teeth. He leans in and settles at Craig's side, body pressed against him. Craig stills and Bruno lowers his head, breathing in Craig's scent.  
  
They sit like that for a while, and Bruno whines softly as Craig rubs his muzzle over the fur on Bruno's back. It's not sexual but it is comforting to both of them.  
  
Bruno doesn't know quite how long it is, but eventually Craig starts to transform back; muzzle disappearing and claws turning to fingers. It feels good as Craig strokes his fingers over Bruno's hair and down his spine. It takes a little longer for Bruno to change but eventually he's as human again as Craig.  Bruno stands up and extends his hand to Craig, pulling him up too.  
  
"Full moon," he says. "It's a bastard, isn't it? I'll be back in a minute." He heads back inside to fetch a couple of glasses of wine. When he gets back out to the garden Craig is sitting at the table waiting for him.  
  
Craig pulls his shirt around him as best as he can. Unlike Bruno, he hadn't exactly planned on the shift and his clothes are... Well, not in tatters, but definitely not quite as put together as they once were. Despite everything he's feeling more settled than in a while and knows it's due to having Bruno so close.  
  
Everything is always easier as wolves, and the thought makes him yearn to share the full moon with Bruno properly.  
  
"Quick thinking just now," Craig says, accepting the glass of wine Bruno passes to him. "I would apologise but..." He shrugs, hoping Bruno gets it.  
  
"No need," Bruno answers, sitting down opposite Craig. "I know what it's like, and they were only puppies, Craig. I just didn't really expect to see teenagers out so close to the full moon." He shakes his head and takes a sip of the wine before continuing. "In Italy that would not happen. I was not allowed outside the house in the week before the full moon until I left home." He takes another mouthful, pushing the memories to the side; it's an old hurt and not really relevant now.  
  
"But thank you for... Well, for not doing what I know full well you wanted to do." He's no fool and his senses have always been strong; the scent of lust and want is still lingering on Craig and Bruno knows he's damned lucky to not have been pushed down and just claimed and marked. That's twice now that Craig has stopped that happening, even though this time he’d been simply stopping himself.  
  
Craig lets out a slow, measured breath, holding Bruno's gaze until the beta looks down. Only then he speaks. "No need to thank me," Craig says, voice flat. He's still not sure if not claiming Bruno properly is the wrong or the right thing to do, but Bruno seems... grateful at least that it hadn't happened now.  
  
Craig washes down the bitter disappointment with a mouthful of wine. "My friend has a place," he says. "Near the forest. A lot of room to run. No other wolves around unless invited."  
  
Bruno perks up at that, lifting his gaze to Craig before dropping it again. It seems as though he's constantly disappointing Craig and if he were in wolf form right now he knows his tail would be between his legs. He hadn't even intended to upset Craig by his words, had genuinely been thanking him. He's ridiculously conflicted about this no matter what happens, or what either of them do.  One moment he wants Craig to push him down and claim him, to be his alpha, and then the next he knows that he's backing off from Craig, which is pretty unfair the way he keeps pushing him.  He sighs a little and follows Craig's example by focusing on the wine.  
  
He'd been concerned about what was going to happen at the full moon, and the thought of being able to run without any strange wolves there. He would really like to share the experience with Craig, and hope that's what Craig is suggesting.  
  
Keeping his gaze down his next words are quiet: "Would we run together?" he asks.  
  
Craig blinks, genuinely startled at the question. Because he hadn't even considered an alternative. "I... of course," he says, frowning, and then, because Bruno is radiating uncertainty: "Unless you don't..."  
  
"No," Bruno looks up. "I want to. I... it's been a while since I ran with anybody at the full moon, and it would feel weird not to run together."  
  
"Okay," Craig says, unable to suppress the smile, and knowing full well that relief is probably rolling off him in palpable waves. "I'll call my friend, we can go tomorrow."  
  
Bruno relaxes at the happiness emanating from Craig. It's the most comfortable he's felt with him since Craig made him move in and he can't help but smile back at him. Just the thought of running with another wolf again makes him happy, and the acceptance coming from the alpha right now makes him want to rub up against him, lick at his ear. Maybe nip it a little to see how Craig would react.  
  
Bruno snorts quietly and takes another mouthful of the wine and leans back. " _Molto buona_ , Craig. I look forward to it."  
  
  
***  
  
  
Bruno breaks the surface of the water and starts to lazily swim toward the shore. He's enjoying the solitude of the forest surrounding the cabin they're staying in. It's private land and there are high fences keeping people out, and signs warning that this is shifter land, for which he's grateful. There's no chance of anybody disturbing them and there are no other shifters here, although there's evidence that shifters do use these woods and the cabin.  
  
It's the full moon tonight, and Bruno is finding it hard to stay still. The moon is itching at him and all he wants to do at times like this is claw off his human form, let the wolf out. He can't wait until the change and is looking forward to exploring the forest as a wolf.  
  
It's warm, the sun beating down through the trees and Bruno turns onto his back, slowly drifting toward the shore where Craig is. For some reason Craig seemed to be a little perturbed when Bruno simply stripped off and headed into the lake this morning. He can't imagine why!  
  
He knows full well he's pushing at the alpha but right now he doesn't care. His wolf wants nothing more than to catch and hold Craig's attention and Bruno is happy to oblige. Craig had come into the water a little earlier, but he hadn't stayed long, heading back out and saying he was going to sort some food out.  Bruno smiles a little; he knows an excuse when he hears one. Clearly the sight of water is glinting off Bruno’s body as he’d shamelessly shown off had done _something_ to the alpha.  
  
Finally, Bruno’s feet hit the bottom of the lake and he stands up, letting the water sluice off and he slowly wades to the shore. Craig is stretched out in a softly swaying hammock, shades over his eyes as he blatantly ignores Bruno.  
  
Bruno runs his hands through his hair and heads over to where he left his towel and shorts. Turning his back on Craig he dries off, attending to every part of himself thoroughly, no matter how long it may take, or how many times he has to bend over in the process. Once dry, he pulls on his shorts before turning back to Craig. "Coffee?" he asks.  
  
"No thanks," Craig says, tasting blood. There is no way Bruno doesn't know exactly what he's doing to him, that much is clear from the smirk on his face. Craig would like nothing better than to wipe it off but he knows that if he starts anything, he's not going to be able to stop until it's finished one way or another, and he's not sure Bruno really wants the kind of ending Craig has in mind.  
  
So instead he clutches the hammock with clawed hands, body tense like steel wire, and watches-smells-wants the beta who keeps parading around naked, presenting his ass like an engraved invitation.  
  
Bruno shrugs, seemingly unconcerned, and wanders back toward the cabin. Craig doesn't let himself relax until he hears the sounds of a coffee maker being prepared. Apart for the sexual tension thick enough to cut with a knife, they've been enjoying the break from the city. Craig especially appreciates the solitude and having Bruno all to himself.  
  
His friend had been happy for them to use the place, telling Craig he knew where the spare key was hidden. It's not the first time Craig's come here for the full moon and it's not even the first time he's brought... friends with him. Normally, he would've have invited some of his old pack mates, or been invited along to their territory to run with them. He might not be formally part of the pack here anymore but the relations are friendly and Craig relishes the company.  
  
It seems though that running together with other wolves is a rarer occurrence for Bruno. Craig had heard the wistfulness in his voice the other day, and wonders how much sheer loneliness had played the part in the way Bruno had been behaving in the bar. Probably a lot.  
  
Then he wonders how much it factors into the way Bruno is behaving with him, and that thought does nothing to cheer him up at all.  
  
Bruno watches Craig from the kitchen window. These two days at the cabin, away from the city have confirmed what he's been thinking, how he's been feeling since Craig moved him into his house. He knows that when he'd offered himself to Craig that night in the bar, it had been nothing more than a reaction to the night, to how he was feeling.  Although his wolf had instinctively looked at Craig's alpha and wanted him.  
  
But he doesn't know what Craig thinks about it. There are moments when it seems very clear that Craig wants nothing more than to pin him down and claim him, and then others he backs right off.  
  
So Bruno has started pushing. He knows things will be much simpler when they're in wolf form, but he wonders just exactly how it will pan out.  Right now though all he wants to do is go and rest against Craig, lean against him and relax. Feel safe.  
  
Finally the coffee is brewed to his satisfaction and he turns away from the window and pours out a large mug, adding cream and sugar because he's not in the mood for black coffee right now. Bruno makes up yet another of the batches of meat sandwiches he's been making for Craig for the last few weeks, and carries the plate out with his coffee, and a bottle of water for Craig.  
  
Placing the two drinks down, he passes the plate to Craig. "It's tiring sitting out here doing nothing," he says. "I thought you'd like some sustenance." Settling down in the hammock he sips at his coffee. It's still sunny and hot but Bruno can feel the moments as they tick away to the moon rising and although he's a little nervous about it, he also can't wait for it.  ' _Soon_ ,' he thinks.  ' _Soon_!'  
  
  
***  
  
  
When the moon finally rises, they are in the woods, standing side by side in a clearing, naked as the day they were born.  
  
Craig can feel everything; the forest and its myriad sounds, the night settling over the land thick and warm, every cell of his body re-aligning from inside out, the moon pulling him over as bones break and re-knit. Next to him Bruno is screaming, but it's a joyous sound that turns into a howl, and Craig lifts his head, ears back, chest expanding, and answers.  
  
Bruno turns and pushes against Craig's shoulder, letting the alpha know he's happy to be here with him. He licks at Craig's muzzle and then moves back, almost dancing. It's been such a long time since he ran with another wolf and the forest is calling to him. He howls again and lopes away before looking back to see if the other wolf will follow him.  
  
Craig grins, tongue lolling out, happy and carefree as he races after the smaller wolf. They chase each other through the forest, only to get distracted by small prey, switching to hunting together as easily as if they'd been doing it all their lives. It's a good night, unhampered by worries or doubts, nothing but freedom and joy and togetherness.  
  
As the sky turns grey they find a burrow, a dry spot under the trees, and curl up together nose to tail, warm and sated.  
  
They sleep in small doses, as is usual with their species and after the second time Bruno wakes up he changes position so he's lying next to Craig, licking carefully at his muzzle and ears. Craig opens one eye at him, growling softly but it's nothing more than a grumble and Bruno doesn't stop, slowly and carefully grooming the other wolf until Craig settles back down and falls asleep again.  
  
After a while Bruno drops his head onto Craig's shoulder and closes his eyes, although he keeps an ear out in case anybody approaches them – he can sleep when he's back in human form. For now he wants to stay awake and enjoy the time spent like this.  
  
Eventually, he does fall back to sleep, only to wake as the moon starts to wane, and his human consciousness starts to push to the front. Bruno lifts his head and stares up at Craig, who is sitting on his haunches watching him. Craig has shifted back to human, unlike Bruno but he's not as governed by the moon as Bruno is.  
  
Bruno staggers up onto all fours and licks at Craig's hand.  Craig laughs and rubs his ears for a minute or two before he stands up.  "Come on," he says. "Let's head back. I don't know about you but I most definitely need some steak and then sleep in a nice comfortable bed. I'm not a massive fan of sticks and stones in my ass."  
  
Bruno barks at him happily but follows along keeping close to his alpha's side. It takes them a while to get back to the cabin, but then they had run a lot the previous night, and the sun is just beginning to rise as they reach their destination.  
  
The pain rips through him as his mistress disappears until nightfall, and Bruno drops to his belly howling at the pain as he shifts. Craig crouches down and keeps a hand on him, giving comfort as he changes.  It takes a couple of minutes, it's always seems to be more painful changing back to human than it is the other way and Bruno pants with relief when it's all over.  
  
After a moment, Craig helps him up and into the house, his strength holding him steady as Bruno staggers slightly.  "Steak," Craig repeats.  "And then we can sleep."  
  
They do just that; eat and sleep, curled together again even in human form without any discussion about it. It's not awkward, not now when the moon ensures the wolf instincts for closeness override any human hang-ups. When the night falls they head for the forest, eager and laughing. The next two nights follow the same pattern and it's good, it's perfect, exactly what Craig wants.  
  
So when he wakes up the evening of the fourth day, still feeling the moon but knowing it no longer has power to pull him over, Craig is content to press his human face against Bruno's neck and just breathe. He guesses they'll have to talk about this at some point but right now he doesn't want to do anything but enjoy the moment.  
  
It's warm and safe, in the nest of covers and Bruno doesn't want to move. It smells of the forest and their mingled scents and Bruno makes a happy little sound as Craig presses his mouth to his neck.  
  
'Pack,' his mind supplies followed by 'mate', and it's not a scary thought anymore. Doesn't make him want to jump up and flee through the forest like a blonde female in a horror movie. He snorts softly and, wriggling his left hand free, strokes it over Craig's shoulders and upper back enjoying the feel of skin under his fingers.  
  
"Thank you," he says to Craig. "For bringing me here."  
  
Craig huffs, not deigning the comment with an answer. Who else would he have run with if not his... Well.  
  
It's not like the thought is new per se, just something that he's avoided fully voicing, even in his head. But right now, with Bruno all warm and languid underneath him, everything seems much simpler. Craig grazes blunt human teeth against the long column of Bruno's neck and is met with nothing but a happy hum. He could just... He's going to...  
  
Somewhere in the house a phone stars ringing.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Bruno runs his hand along the wall, leaving the scent of his come along the corridor. It's been nearly a week since they returned from the forest, since the full moon and Craig... Well, Craig hasn't bothered to do anything about what's going on between them.  
  
It's pretty obvious that Craig wants him; the scent of lust and ownership when he's around Bruno is so strong that even a non-shifter would be able to notice it. But he does nothing about it, keeps backing off from Bruno, no matter what he's been trying to do to provoke the alpha.  
  
He's taken to walking around the house naked, dropping his clothes at the slightest provocation, bending over every possible surface he can find, but the only response that elicits is Craig walking out of the room. It’s gotten that bad that yesterday Bruno had headed down to the shopping centre where he'd met the teenage wolves, looking for another confrontation, hoping that the scent of another wolf on him might actually get Craig to do something. However, irritatingly, as soon as the group of youngsters had seen him they'd gone the other way.  
  
The only reaction he's managed to get out of Craig all week is that Craig leaves the house early, and disappears again when Bruno tries something.  
  
To be honest, Bruno – and most definitely his wolf – is confused. It’s getting to the point that neither side of him has any idea what Craig wants, how to get him to react. Until the idea about scenting the house in a way that Craig wouldn't be able to ignore. Which is what Bruno is doing right now: jerking off in pretty much every room of the house. Thankfully, as a shifter he has a really good recovery time.  
  
Bruno sniggers somewhat hysterically when he thinks about how Craig might react. What he wants Craig to do is pin him down, mark him and then fuck him. To be his alpha for real. This constant back and forth, on and off, is really beginning to piss him off and to distress him.  
  
It's not been difficult to bring himself off, each time thinking about sex with Craig; the heavy weight of the alpha as he’d take him on his hands and knees, in the bed, against the wall. So far Bruno has left his scent in his own bedroom, the kitchen – wiping his hand over the surfaces, not caring that it was unhygienic – the dining room and outside in the garden, coming over the patio furniture.  There's just the lounge left and Craig's bedroom.  
  
Bruno wipes the rest of the come over the stained glass embedded into the front door, smearing it. Then he heads into the lounge, throwing himself down in Craig's armchair.  
  
He rubs his hands vigorously on the arms of the chair and then leaning his head back against the seat he spreads his legs wide and slides his hand down to his cock. He's that turned on right now, just thinking about how Craig might react, that it's not going to take that long to come again.  
  
It's rough and his cock is sore but Bruno doesn't mind, quite likes it in fact.  A little pain only adds interest to the proceedings. He closes his eyes and imagines that it's Craig's hand on him, bringing him off, being rough and making him come.  
  
Bruno is whimpering continuously and he moves his hand a little faster on his cock, rubbing his thumb over the slit. He thinks about Craig just pinning him down and fucking him and he howls as he comes, spilling over his hand, head spinning as he almost whites out as yet another orgasm hits him.  
  
Collapsing back in the chair, he wipes the come onto the upholstery and closes his eyes, just taking in his scent overlaying Craig’s. Bruno rests like that for a short while even though his wolf is whining eagerly at him to continue with what they've been doing, marking the house.  Any other shifter that comes to the door will know full well that Craig is not available and Bruno smiles at that thought.  
  
Eventually, Bruno pushes up from the chair, staggering slightly and dropping to his knees. His head is still spinning and it takes a short while before he can pull himself up, using the chair arm for assistance. Once his head is a little clearer, Bruno heads to Craig's bedroom.  
  
At the closed door he pauses. The bedroom is Craig's private space, Bruno hasn't been into it and Craig always keeps the door shut making a very obvious point.  
  
Thing is, does he really _really_ want to piss Craig off by going in there? For a moment Bruno contemplates it, but his wolf is whining inside his head and it's not a happy sound and Bruno turns away. Although, not before resting his hands on the door and pressing his forehead against it. What's done is done now and all he can do is wait to see how Craig reacts.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Craig knows he's being ridiculous, hiding from his own house, from Bruno, but he's never liked feeling like his hand is being forced. And right now he has all of wolf's instincts, all of his human feelings, and Bruno, the pushy bastard that he is, shoving him in one direction and one direction only.  
  
It's not that Craig doesn't want to finish what they've started, but he would like to think he had some choice in the matter. He would like to think Bruno had choice in it too, and despite his all too obvious display of 'take me', Craig isn't so sure.  
  
Or maybe he's just afraid. With a grimace Craig puts down the coffee he's been staring at rather than drinking for the last fifteen minutes. He'd driven downtown, aimlessly wandering through some shops before finally parking his arse in one of the bland chain cafes. He'd like to say he's been thinking but suspects it's closer to brooding. Perhaps even moping.  
  
He wants Bruno. As a mate. And Bruno clearly wants Craig. As a... well. He's not sure how that sentence ends and can't bear the thought of another 'let's just forget about it' conversation that might follow should he give in and pin the smaller shifter to the nearest flat surface and fuck him until he couldn't even scream any more, much less string a sentence together.  
  
Perhaps it really was time to bite the bullet so to speak and have an actual conversation about this. Because if Craig has to sit through another evening of Bruno wandering in and out of the rooms without a stitch on, he is going to snap, no question about it.  
  
Decision made, Craig throws some money onto the table and heads home.  
  
The smell hits him as soon as he gets out of the car. Craig staggers the few steps to the house and when he opens the front door, the scent of sex smacks him in the face, in his chest, right down to his cock that's already swelling. He's down, crouching, fangs pushing down and out, angry and aroused and confused and jealous because who has Bruno being having sex with, who's made him come and come and come, every room of the house reeking, the air heavy with sweat and musk.  
  
Craig growls, hackles up, moving from room to room, low to the ground and fast, looking for Bruno, ready to tear up anyone who has dared to touch what is his. He's so angry, so blinded by jealousy, that it takes him an embarrassingly long time to realise he's not smelling anyone except himself and Bruno. No one else has been in the house, or even near it.  
  
All the come clinging to the furniture, to the walls, is Bruno's. At first he doesn't understand why Bruno would do this, surely he'd know how Craig was going to react.  
  
And then. Well then he stops outside his bedroom door, seeing-smelling-touching the smear of semen clinging to the wood, and he realises that Bruno knew _exactly_ how Craig would react and that's precisely the reason he'd done it.  
  
Craig pauses, panting, still painfully aroused. It takes a while but eventually he's able to straighten up, fully human again. He's angry but in a way... he understands too.  
  
That doesn't mean that this is something Bruno is going to get away with.  
  
Craig turns around and heads straight for Bruno's bedroom, already unbuttoning his fly. He'll start there.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Bruno hesitates at the entrance to the house. Craig is there, he can tell that from the smell, which conveys a vivid picture of what Craig has done. Bruno is nervous, wondering yet again if he has gone too far with his little stunt.  
  
It had been that concern, fear that Craig would beat him down and throw him out when he returned to his home that had been responsible for Bruno fleeing from the house in panic. He'd spent a couple of hours simply walking around, trying to avoid as much attention as he could, knowing full well how he looked and smelt.  
  
The longer that is spent waiting outside, the worse it gets, and more Bruno agitated becomes. Finally pulling the shreds of his courage together, he opens the door and steps inside.  
  
The house is quiet, almost as though waiting in anticipation but Bruno can hear Craig's breathing. It's measured and calm if not for the background of grinding teeth.  
  
Bruno takes a step down the hallway, and then another, each one bringing him closer to the waiting alpha. Finally he reaches the doorway to the lounge where Craig is sitting… in the chair that Bruno had come all over earlier. That is covered now with Craig's own scent; muskiness and sweat overlaid with anger, and a tang of copper as though Craig has been biting down on something and…  
  
Fuck, Bruno is in so much trouble.  
  
Dropping to his hands and knees, and keeping his head lowered, Bruno crawls slowly to Craig, every inch closer making him tenser and more scared. It feels like an incredibly long journey, even though it's a short distance. He can feel Craig's gaze on him, finally reaching the angry alpha and dropping flat to the floor, waiting to see what will happen, praying that Craig will not throw him out.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Craig has been waiting for Bruno to return for two hours, more and more afraid with each passing minute that the other shifter would not be coming back at all, even though all his things were still here. And yes, he'd checked.  
  
He'd been close to just going out to find Bruno himself and drag him back if need be when he'd finally heard, and smelled, him.  
  
Now the beta is at his feet, belly to the floor and smelling of fear. The alpha in Craig is pacified, and he nudges Bruno's shoulder with his foot, pushing until he gets the point, rolling to his back.  
  
Craig regards him in silence for a while, listening to Bruno's rapid breathing, watching the way he opens and closes his eyes like he can't decide whether he wants to see or not, but never trying to look in Craig's direction.  
  
Craig sighs, the anger leeching out of him. He presses a foot to the side of Bruno's neck, just a hint of pressure, testing. This isn't what he wants. Well, it is but... it isn't.  
  
"I thought at first there had been... somebody else here," Craig says. Somehow giving up that piece of information feels important. "That you weren't... alone."  
  
Bruno's eyes snap to Craig at those words.  "What... no!" he exclaims, starting to rise, but Craig presses a foot even harder to his neck and he sinks back down. "I would never do that, Craig."  
  
Part of Craig had known that of course, hoped at least, but to hear it confirmed out loud still feels good. Craig lets out a slow breath, easing the pressure he's putting on Bruno's neck, finally pulling his foot away entirely. Bruno doesn't move though and after a moment's hesitation Craig slides to the floor too, sitting cross-legged next to him, not touching but close by. "And why would you never?" he asks, because he needs to know.  
  
And there it is. After all their sniffing around, finally Craig has come out and asked the question. Had it been a couple of weeks ago Bruno isn't sure that he would have been able to give a clear answer, but now he can. Now he's made a decision. "Because... well," his eyes flick to Craig, "Because I've offered myself to an alpha. Even though he hasn't claimed me."  
  
"You were drunk," Craig says, raising a hand to halt the protests Bruno looks set to make. "At the time. You were. And then you wanted to forget about it." Craig look down at the man lying next to him, still scared and smelling of come, but not leaving, not leaving, very clearly not leaving.  
  
He holds out his hand, watches Bruno's eyes flick to it and back to his face, before he takes it. Craig hauls him up to a sitting position. "Except I couldn't," he says, fingers still clamped around Bruno's forearm, tight enough to bruise.  
  
"I was drunk," Bruno concedes. "It was a bad night," his mouth twists a little unhappily, "and I thought that it would be easier for you to forget it. Easier for both of us to do that." He wants to rub his face against Craig's hand but just having Craig next to him, touching him, is calming.  
  
"And then you made me come here, and I really didn't want to be here. You know me Craig, I'm not massively obedient." He shuffles an inch closer to Craig hoping that it will be allowed. "But I know now what I want, I know what my wolf wants."  
  
"Yes," Craig says, something jubilant and possessive coiling in his chest. He leans close and deliberately rubs his nose against Bruno's neck, the edge of his jaw. "I can smell it on you. Could smell it all over the house." He relishes the shiver that racks Bruno's entire body.  
  
Pulling back is easy now that he knows it's not for ever. "Come out with me," he says, grinning at Bruno's confused expression. "I know, I know, but... Dinner. Tonight. We'll... talk. Properly. Without any further damage to my cleaning bill." Craig casts a meaningful glance around the room.  
  
“It’s a date,” Bruno says, grinning in triumph when Craig only smiles and nods.  
  
  
***

 

Bruno turns this way and that, checking out every angle of his reflection in the full length bedroom mirror.  
  
He turns again, twisting his head to check that yes, his backside is looking firm and snug in the dark blue dress trousers he's wearing. Those are combined with a pale blue silk v-neck t-shirt and Bruno knows he looks pretty hot right now.  
  
He hopes that Craig will like the outfit. There was the never the option of going casual, not for this dinner, and he's also smelling a lot better than he did when he got back, having showered.  
  
There's no attempt to disguise his own scent with aftershave, and to be honest, it's hard to smell anything over Craig's scent right now. He’d really done it. Bruno shakes his head. Craig had brought himself off all over Bruno's bed – to make a point of course, but Bruno finds that all he wants to do right now is get onto the bed and roll around in the smell, take on Craig's scent and have it cover his own like he wants Craig to cover him. The smell is keeping him on edge, hard, and he's sure that was Craig's intent.  
  
Not just yet though. They still have a few things to settle and Bruno takes a quick look at his watch noting that it's getting closer to their designated time of departure, Craig having laughingly given him _"An hour Bruno - even you should be able to get showered and changed in that! I'm not wasting any more time messing around!"_  
  
Bruno snorts and, taking one last look, he heads out to find Craig.  
  
Craig is waiting outside for Bruno and the taxi both. He could've driven but he wants to share a celebratory glass of champagne with his... – and here his face breaks into an involuntary smile – his beta, his new mate, soon properly. Obnoxious as Bruno's little stunt had been, at least it's finally made them break through the reserve and come to a decision.  
  
And what a decision. Craig fully plans on claiming Bruno as his tonight, as completely and thoroughly as possibly, quite likely several times. He smirks to himself a little, enjoying the thrill of anticipation and happiness that coils low in his stomach.  
  
Bruno arrives before their ride and Craig rakes his gaze over him hungrily. He doesn't need to tell Bruno what he thinks, it's obvious the other shifter gets it from Craig's body language and the way his scent changes, saturated now with arousal. Bruno grins at him, open and happy, and does a slow twirl with his arms spread, putting on a show like usual.  
  
Except this time Craig doesn't have to, and certainly isn't going to, leave. Instead, he hums his appreciation, a low sound that courts the edges of a growl, and, Craig notices with interest, makes Bruno's eyes dilate. Quick as a flash he's at Bruno's side, two fingers pressed to his pulse point, prominently displayed by the open vee of his collar.  
  
"You may want to rein it in just a bit," Craig says good humouredly but with something darker underneath. "Otherwise, we might not make it to the restaurant. And," he adds, focusing until the tips of his fingers morph into razor sharp claws which he trails carefully over Bruno's skin, "we're going to be needing some sustenance before the night is over."  
  
Bruno stills at the touch of Craig's claws and he takes in a shuddering breath. His instinct is to press closer but he stays still looking up at the other shifter who looms over him. He has a not so hidden kink for claws, which is probably good as he's a shifter, and he wonders just how much Craig might use his claws when they're having sex. He'll find out later.  
  
Craig growls softly, yet there's still that dark tone in the sound. Bruno brings his hand up and strokes it over Craig's arm which seems to relax the other shifter somewhat.  
  
"Food?" he asks, smiling up at Craig. "Maybe we need to get away from the house?"  
  
Craig takes a step back just as the taxi pulls to the drive. "Yeah," he says. "Smelling us together... is not exactly helping."  
  
He turns toward the cab, climbing in without looking at Bruno's face, afraid that whatever the reaction there, it will only distract them both further.  
  
They keep a careful distance in the car, the driver dropping them off downtown. Bruno is right and it is easier here, the tension between them fading to something more manageable as they stroll down the sunny sidewalks, ducking in for pre-dinner drinks in the bar near the restaurant.  
  
Craig starts heading to the bar but Bruno stops him with a hand to the chest. "Go sit," he says, adding: "I'll get these," at Craig's raised eyebrow.  
  
Craig huffs in amusement but goes to find a table where he has an unobscured view of the place.  
  
Bruno can feel Craig's gaze on him as he leans on the bar, hip cocked, while he tries to catch the attention of one of the barmen. It doesn't take long, and within a couple of minutes a very pretty omega is leaning over the bar and smiling at him.  
  
"What's your pleasure," the shifter asks, tilting his head as he looks Bruno up and down. "I'm sure whatever it is I can help."  
  
Bruno manages to stop from snorting out loud at the extremely unsubtle flirting. Ironically, the omega is the type of partner that he would have happily sought at one point but not now. Not with Craig.  
  
"I'm sure you're very good at what you do," he responds, "and I think I'd like a couple of 1788's please."  
  
The other shifter pouts. "Is that all?" he asks, trailing his hand down his chest.  
  
"Yes," Bruno says shortly. "And if you don't get on with it, the alpha sitting over there in the corner, who I'm pretty sure is glaring at us both right now, is likely to come over here and let you know how he feels. So please, be a good boy and go and make my drinks."  
  
"Fine." The omega tosses his head. "Your loss." He turns away from Bruno and within a couple of minutes he's back with the cocktails.  Bruno pays for the drinks and then heads back to Craig with them.  
  
Craig plucks the drink from Bruno's hand and takes a mouthful before he has a chance to say or do something ridiculous like pull Bruno to sit in his lap or mark him as his then and there. Christ, get a grip, he thinks. At the bar the young omega is flirting with everyone with a heartbeat, and really, he's hardly any threat.  
  
Craig is just over-reacting because of the situation, having Bruno almost, but not quite, as his. Still, there was a reason he wanted them to have this conversation first, somewhere neutral and not in his house that smelled like sex.  
  
"So..." he starts, looking at Bruno over the rim of his glass. "Guess we're really doing this, huh?"  
  
Bruno stirs his cocktail with the tip of his finger and then sucks it clean, the fresh aroma of it exploding on his tongue.  He's grateful that Craig has picked a relatively quiet seat for them. This is not a conversation he wants to share with others, although they are more than likely standing out as beacons to any other alphas in the bar.  
  
He isn't even sure if there are any other alphas in the bar, his attention wholly concentrated on Craig.  
  
"Si," he answers, feeling a flush of excitement go through him at the thought of Craig claiming him.  "I think we are most definitely doing this. This may not have started in the most auspicious way," and Bruno's still a little embarrassed about that, "but I am not sorry for that evening in the bar."  
  
The words soothe the final doubts in Craig's mind, mending something that had broken at Bruno's initial suggestion to pretend as if nothing had happened.  
  
"Neither am I," Craig says. There are other things he could add, things like 'never' and 'always' but he's pretty sure Bruno is reading them all in his eyes and scent and in the way he reaches over and wraps his fingers around Bruno's hand.  
  
This is not the place to do this, but Craig is finished with stopping himself so he brings Bruno's hand to his mouth and kisses the inside of his wrist, letting his teeth catch and tug at the thin skin, almost but not quite breaking through to the veins just underneath. It's nothing but a nip; a promise of the claim mark to come, but Bruno whines, going boneless, and the way the scent of his arousal spikes goes straight to Craig's cock. Bruno's eyes are bleeding wolf green into his human irises and Craig wants to taste him everywhere, outside and in, lick the blood of his skin and...  
  
"Fuck," he breathes, leaning back with difficulty. "Food, now."  
  
Bruno shakes his head like a dog getting rid of water and nods, looking dazed but grinning nonetheless. "Good idea," he says.  
  
  
***  
  
  
A few hours, a substantive meal and a shared bottle of wine later, they are both feeling considerably mellower. The dinner had been a good idea, Craig muses as they walk down the street, enjoying the evening. It had provided them an opportunity to cement the bond on a human level - talking, flirting, and laughing - and it was a relief to know that the relationship worked there too. Of course, they already had years of friendship behind them so Craig hadn't been overly worried, but sometimes the wolf instincts were so overwhelming that they pushed all other considerations aside.  
  
Bruno had also opened up about his childhood and teenage years in Italy, and the very different pack politics and traditions that played a part there. There had been sadness in his voice, replaced by quiet joy when he'd switched to talking about this new pack of theirs, of belonging, and Craig had felt a strong surge of protectiveness toward his mate, vowing silently to ensure that Bruno never again felt like he didn't belong.  
  
"Huh, I didn't know the restaurant was this close to here."  
  
Bruno's words bring Craig out of his musings and he looks up, realising that they are outside the shifter club where they had met a few short weeks ago. "Yeah, I guess it is... Places explicitly catering for shifters tend to congregate in one area. I wasn't thinking." He pulls on Bruno's arm, intending to move them along but his headstrong beta doesn't budge.  
  
Instead, he turns a blinding grin toward him and Craig knows that whatever Bruno is about to suggest he'll agree to.  
  
Bruno runs his hand down Craig's arm, enjoying the feeling of warm flesh under his fingers, the way the muscles tense at his touch.  
  
He knows that he's being a sap, and he wouldn't voice the comment out loud but as far as Bruno is concerned tonight is the start of the rest of his life. He has a pack and a mate, albeit he's still to be claimed but that's only a matter of time, and Bruno knows exactly how this evening is going to end. He shivers a little and Craig's glance turns a little darker as he looks down at him.  
  
Being outside the club where this all started gives Bruno an idea. Because this is the start of something new he wants to change, to alter the memory of how this began. He takes a look at the club door and then up at Craig again.  
  
"Come on," he tells him. "I think we're due a drink to celebrate don't you, and where better than where this all started."  
  
Craig looks a little doubtful but Bruno knows that he won't be refused. Not now. "Just one drink," he says, tugging at Craig's arm. "And then you can take me home," he pushes up on his toes and brushes his lips across Craig's and murmurs softly," where you can claim me."  
  
He doesn't wait for a response, simply linking his hand with Craig's and pulling him into the club. The smell hits him – shifter and human, both soaked in alcohol, adrenalin and arousal – and Bruno presses back against Craig for a moment, Craig’s touch and scent calming him.  
  
"You go and get the drinks," he says. "I'll find us somewhere to sit."  
  
Craig huffs but let’s Bruno push him gently toward the bar. The club is busy as usual but Craig is in a good mood and doesn't even get impatient about having to wait to be served. Betas and omegas are trying to melt out of the way but Craig just grins and waves a hand at them. He's got a mate sitting at a table, least he can do is let these folks who are still clearly looking for a partner to get their drink first.  
  
When he's finally at the bar Craig hesitates for a moment but then decides that if any night deserves indulgence it's this one and orders the best bottle of Champagne available.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Bruno finds an empty booth easily as it's still reasonably early and most of the club patrons are on the dance floor or at the bar. Later, they might have a use for the curtained booths but not yet  
  
He settles down happily, humming softly under his breath and waiting for Craig to get back from the bar.  Bruno pulls out his mobile to check his emails and texts and is sufficiently distracted not to notice the other wolf until he’s standing right next to him.  
  
Bruno flicks a quick look at the alpha and then away, not wanting his gaze to be caught. The smell is somewhat familiar and Bruno knows that it must be from when he was here last.  
  
He leans carefully back in his seat and looks down at his mobile, trying to ignore the other shifter, hoping that he will get the message and fuck off before Craig gets back from the bar. It doesn't work though and a moment later the alpha is leaning in, smelling him. Bruno puts his phone away and glares.  
  
"Get lost," he tells him. "I'm waiting for someone."  
  
The alpha laughs and runs a clawed hand down Bruno's arm and Bruno wrenches away, not bothering to hide his disgust. "You might well be waiting for somebody," the shifter tells him, his hand at the neck of Bruno's t-shirt now. Before Bruno can do anything to stop him he's torn the fabric and is leaning even closer. "No claim mark," he says. "You've been with him for weeks now and he hasn't even claimed you. Don't worry... If he won't, then I will!"  
  
Bruno snarls at him, and his own hands are changing slowly to claws now, his anger laced with genuine alarm.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Craig is clutching a bucket of ice in which rests a very expensive bottle of Champagne. He's making his way toward the booths, his nose telling him that's the direction Bruno had headed earlier.  
  
Once he gets closer though, he realises that something is not quite right. Bruno's scent is laced with agitation, the cause of which becomes clear once the crowds part enough for Craig to see what's going on.  
  
Bruno is not alone. There's an alpha standing next to him, way too close for Craig's liking and to Bruno's too, judging by the way he's leaning backwards, teeth bared. Craig vaguely recognises the guy from their previous visit, one of the crowd who had eyed Bruno hungrily after his announcement of finding someone else if Craig wasn't interested.  
  
There's a window of about three seconds during which Craig's human side is telling him to keep calm and take the high road, Bruno is as good as his and the little pissant alpha is nothing but a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things. Then the strange shifter actually leans down toward Bruno's neck, mouth open as if he plans on biting him then and there, and Craig sees red.  
  
The very expensive bottle of Champagne crashes to the floor, drawing everyone's attention. Not that Craig notices.  
  
He's far enough away to gather some speed, crossing the distance in running steps. By the time he crashes into the other alpha, sending them both to the floor, his hands are clawed and the growl emanating from his throat is entirely inhuman.  
  
Craig barrels into the alpha, knocking him over and away from Bruno as they go down.  
  
Gasping in surprise and scrambling to get his feet under him, Bruno pushes out of the booth, following the fighting pair toward the dance floor where they have ended up, clawing at each other. He's dimly aware of the humans being shunted out of the club and the doors locking against any further intrusion but the majority of his attention is on the fight that's taking place in full view of the spectators.  
  
He wants to interfere, wants to go to Craig's side, but knows he can't. This is a fight between alphas and all Bruno can do is watch as first Craig, and then the other alpha, slowly shift to something that's neither wholly wolf nor human, but a mixture of both.  
  
Any trace of human reason and patience is gone and right now Craig knows only two things: One, another alpha threatens what is his, and two, he will do everything necessary to stop this.  
  
He's distantly aware of his shirt ripping at the seams as his muscles shift, bones creaking. It's not a full change and for anyone other than shifters he and his opponent probably look grotesque, like a nightmare come to life, as they snarl at each other.  
  
"He's not claimed!" the other alpha barks, spittle flying. "You clearly don't want him."  
  
Craig growls. "He will be," he answers. "I want him. He's _mine_."  
  
After that words become obsolete. The two of them snipe and circle, looking for an advantage and taking it when possible. It's not long until both of them are bloodied, though not seriously.  
  
It's been a while since Craig's been in a fight but then again he's never been this motivated about winning either and instinct takes over. He feints to the right and when the other shifter falls for it, he lunges forward, legs slashing at an exposed belly and finding their target. The other alpha yelps shrilly, going limp and Craig pushes him down, going for the throat.  
  
Bruno's fingers are tight on the bannister that separates the dance floor and the seating area. There's a space around him, none of the other shifters in the club wanting to be near him. Bruno is, after all, the prize of this fight and he knows that no matter who wins, nobody will get in the way of the victor. Nobody will stop him claiming his prize.  
  
Had he seen Craig fight before Bruno might not be so concerned, but he hasn't and the other alpha is younger than Craig. As he watches though it becomes obvious that unless something goes hideously wrong Craig is going to win this.  
  
Bruno isn’t going to deny it, and in fact wouldn't be able to given the way he's no doubt smelling right now, but watching Craig fight like this, for him, is a turn-on and Bruno is so hard it's almost painful. There's nothing he wants more right now than to have Craig claim him, and he doesn't even care if it happens back at Craig’s, or here in front of the other shifters.  
  
Bruno breathes a sigh of relief and loosens his grip a little as Craig pushes the other alpha to the floor and goes for the throat. This is shifter business and nothing will happen to Craig if he kills the other alpha. That's not always the guaranteed ending to a fight like this and Bruno watches closely to see what Craig is going to do.  
  
Craig tightens his jaws around the alpha's throat, canines breaking skin easily. He could kill him, should perhaps, and is teetering on the decision when something distracts him; a scent so strong it derails all thoughts of violence. Well, at least this kind of violence.  
  
Craig lifts his face, inhaling deeply, and there, under the blood and stench of the fight and other shifters, he can smell Bruno's desperate arousal.  
  
And if he can smell it, so can everyone else. With a growl Craig steps over the fallen alpha, barely registering someone dragging him off the floor, presumably to get treatment. Craig, however, is entirely focused on Bruno, who is waiting by edge of the dance floor, his eyes glazed and mouth open. Craig takes a step closer and the space around Bruno grows even wider, other shifters backing away.  
  
Another step and Bruno backs away too, not out of fear but like he's leading Craig somewhere, hoping he'll follow  
  
Craig is panting, trying to claw back some shreds of control. He wants to claim Bruno right now, push him to the floor and bite him and fuck him, but he also wants to get him away from here. Who knows if there are other alphas willing to challenge Craig's claim before it's been properly made and he's not so sure he has it in him to win another fight like this.  
  
The blood is staining Craig's mouth and hands and Bruno continues to back slowly toward the entrance. Although he has no massive objection to being claimed and fucked here, it would be safer to do it back at Craig's, in their territory. These shifters are not part of their pack.  
  
There's a movement to the side, one of the other shifters moving back from the entrance door and Craig snarls, his attention taken away from Bruno. "Craig," Bruno says his name softly and Craig's attention is back on him. He's almost stalking Bruno now, his steps predatory as he follows him and his eyes keep flicking from Bruno's face to his neck.  
  
And then they're at the entrance and Bruno turns to the door. It's been unlocked and he realises that’s what the shifter behind him had been doing, opening it for them to leave. There's a split second and then Craig is pressed up against his back, his muzzle at Bruno's neck.  
  
Bruno shivers and it's all he can do to stop from bearing his neck then and there, letting Craig bite him.  
  
"Home," he tells Craig. "We need to get home. Where it's safe. From other wolves."  
  
"No others," Craig snarls. Bruno's scent is making him feel dizzy and invincible, blood coursing through him strongly. "Do you want me to kill him?" he asks, nose pressed behind Bruno's ear.  
  
The wolf is shouting ‘yes!’ in Bruno's head, wanting to see Craig kill the other shifter who had threatened to take Bruno away from him but Bruno isn't as far gone as Craig. "No," he answers. "I don't want you to kill him. He's not worthy of anymore of your attention. Come on." He opens the door, throwing a look over his shoulder at his mate.  
  
Craig follows and thankfully there are vacant taxis outside the club. Bruno flags one down and a few moments later they're on the way back to Craig's house. It's a cab catering to shifters, strengthened glass between them and the driver, with inbuilt steel rods, for which Bruno is grateful. He ignores the occasional looks the cabbie is throwing the mirror. Bruno rests his hand on Craig's leg and looks into his eyes. "Try and change back a little more," he says.  
  
It's an effort but if that's what Bruno wants then Craig is willing to make it. Being away from the bar helps, as does Bruno's proximity. A few minutes later Craig's back has straightened to a more human posture again, his face mostly flat and hands looking like hands once more. Well, almost.  
  
Bruno keeps touching him throughout and Craig can't tear his eyes away from him, the tempting vee of his shirt even bigger now, ripped by the other alpha. Craig doesn't see any marks on Bruno's skin but he can smell the other alpha on him so he has to ask: "Did he touch you? Hurt you?"  
  
Just because Craig has given up on killing the other alpha for now, doesn't mean he won't go back tomorrow and finish the job if there's so much as a scratch on his mate.  
  
Bruno can guess where Craig's mind is going and he pulls his t-shirt down so Craig can see his neck.  
  
"No," he didn't hurt me although I think if you hadn't been there he would have claimed me."  Craig growls, face starting to morph back to a muzzle and Bruno leans up and carefully licks at Craig's jaw.  
  
"I'm fine Craig but... I will be glad when we are home."  
  
It's not a lie, and it's not just because of the claiming that Bruno wants to be back at Craig's. He's feeling unsettled from the fight. He’d wanted to join in, side by side with his mate, but couldn't and although the wolf and human both understand why, neither of them like it.  Were he in wolf form right now he knows that his hackles would be up.  
  
The sense of relief when they pull up outside the house is palpable. Craig is out of the taxi first, sniffing the air to make sure there are no threats around and only letting Bruno out once he's sure it's safe.  
  
Well. Safe from anyone else. Because now that they are back on his territory, all bets are off. Craig is done waiting. With a growl he turns to Bruno who takes one look at him and all but runs to the front door, fumbling for a key. Craig is beyond caring which side of the door this will take place, all he knows is that it's going to happen right now. He's going to claim his mate as soon as he can get his hands on him.  
  
Craig has quite clearly run out of patience and for a second Bruno considers the house, but that would be too quick and he wants a bit of a chase.  Wants to be caught by Craig. _Caught and claimed._ If they were at the cabin he'd be heading for the woods right now but he fumbles at the door lock, Craig's breath is hot against his neck.  
  
"Mi cattura," Bruno tells him and then he twists, running toward the garden. Thankfully, the gate is on a latch and Bruno is through, shutting and locking it behind him.  It's dark, and despite the street lights Bruno can still see the stars, the waxing moon casting a dim light over the garden.  
  
So, his beta wants to play. The grin spreading over Craig's face is feral and full of teeth. He gives Bruno a bit of a head start, though not too much, before tearing after him.  
  
The sound of the garden gate slamming shut brings him to a halt. Craig considers his options for a moment and then turns, following along the wall, crouching low and quiet as he stalks his prey.  
  
The neighbourhood is silent apart for an occasional car passing by and after a while it's easy to hear Bruno's breathing as he moves through the garden. The smell of arousal is mixing with grass and evening dew, and when Craig opens his mouth he can taste it all, like a heavy mead settling on his tongue.  
  
Bruno toes off his shoes and socks, and carefully heads to the left, toward one of the darker, more overgrown, sections. The garden is a good size and apart for the area near the house, where the barbecue and sitting area are, it's pretty wild, with twisty paths, aloe plants, trees and bushes providing green cover.  
  
He finds a spot where he has a wall against his back, camouflaged by bushes but still having a reasonable vantage point. Dropping to a crouch he settles in to wait to see what Craig will do.  
  
Craig tracks Bruno's scent on the other side of the wall, following along toward the far corner where it suddenly becomes stronger. Bruno is just on the other side. It won't be long until he'll smell Craig too, but a few seconds is all the advantage he needs.  
  
Quietly, Craig scales the wall, an easy task with his werewolf strength and balance. The scant moonlight is enough for his enhanced eyesight, and Bruno's crouched form is easy to make out.  
  
Craig could just jump on him but he'd quite likes to see the expression on Bruno's face so instead he growls, a deep menacing rumble of it breaking the quiet.  
  
Bruno is concentrating so much on what might be coming at him from the main part of the garden that he nearly jumps out of his skin at the growl behind him, a sound that he hadn't been expecting.  
  
He throws a quick look behind him and takes a shaky breath at the sight of Craig on the top of the wall, wolf eyes shining in the dark, fangs and claws extended.  
  
As Craig tenses to leap down Bruno is up and on his feet, pushing through the bushes. The adrenaline courses through him, both at being chased and the thought of being caught, and he twists into one of the other areas of the garden, knowing that he won't be able to keep out of reach for much longer.  
  
Craig jumps down, landing on the exact spot Bruno had been crouching in not two seconds ago, the ground still warm from his body heat. Craig can hear him crashing through the garden, all pretence of subtlety gone, and his heart surges with the thrill of the chase.  
  
Bruno is fast, but there's nowhere much to run here. Besides, this is Craig's territory and he knows it inside and out. Bruno is heading toward the trees at the edge of the house and Craig circles around, planning on waiting for him there instead of following.  
  
Bruno curses as he trips over a branch and glances nervously over his shoulder but Craig isn't there. He drops down into a crouch again, and tries to see if he can scent Craig but it's difficult. This is Craig's garden and it all smells of Craig. It's pretty obvious as well that on occasion his mate has given into his shifter instincts and marked the property as any wolf would.  
  
He takes a deep breath, hair rising on the back of his neck and his skin feels tight on his body. Bruno stays down and begins to move slowly forward on his hands and knees, wondering where the hell Craig has gone. Carefully, he keeps the wall to his left side and follows the sound of trickling water, and a moment later he's pushing through to the corner of the garden where there's a slightly overgrown pond. What he's not expecting to see though is Craig, waiting for him.  
  
"Enough running," Craig says, and before Bruno has a chance to do more than open his mouth in shock, he jumps.  
  
They land in a tangle of limbs, half in the pond, and half on the long grass surrounding it, water splashing everywhere and turning the ground muddy. Bruno yelps in surprise, but there's no fear in his voice, just sheer exhilaration as he turns and tries to squirm away.  
  
Craig wrenches his flailing arms up, pushing them to the ground above Bruno's head, and goes straight for the throat. The action is similar to the one he made with the other alpha during the fight, but the meaning is completely different. This time the throat is bared willingly and Craig's fangs settle over it firmly though not breaking the skin. Instead, he takes his time sniffing and licking, rubbing his head and his scent over every exposed patch of skin on Bruno's neck and chest. He growls in frustration when the t-shirt gets in the way, but that's only a case of one swift movement with a clawed hand and he has access to Bruno's torso.  
  
Snuffling, Craig moves his investigation to Bruno's belly, nipping and licking his way downwards. As soon as he lets go of Bruno's hands they fly to his shoulders, clutching tightly as the smaller shifter whines and bucks under Craig's ministrations.  
  
Craig's tongue is rough and Bruno wriggles at the sensation, wanting more. He's so turned on right now he doesn't really know what to do with himself. Normally, he might push his hand between their bodies and bring himself off quickly but that isn’t an option right now. This is Craig's show and Bruno is pretty sure if he did anything to like that he'd get bitten, and not in a good way.  
  
Craig continues to nip and lick at his skin and Bruno digs his own claws into Craig's shoulders, the sharp tang of blood scenting the air as he breaks the skin.  
  
"Please, please..." Bruno begs pushing up against Craig. He doesn't want to hold this off anymore, wants Craig to fuck him.  
  
Bruno's begging breaks through the last of Craig's restraint and with a growl he pulls Bruno fully onto solid ground, flipping him over easily. Craig snarls in lust and frustration, slashing at Bruno's t-shirt until it falls off in tatters, his claws leaving long bloody rakes across Bruno's back.  
  
Not that he seems to mind, scrambling to get on his hands and knees, desperately tugging at his trousers. Tempting as Bruno's ass is, right now Craig is focused on the tanned slope of a shoulder and with a satisfied howl he wraps his arms around Bruno, bringing him flush against his chest as he sinks his fangs into the base of Bruno's neck.  
  
The flash of blood overwhelms him, coppery and hot, and Craig rubs his cock against the small of Bruno's back as he finally marks his mate.  
  
Craig clawing at his back hurts and Bruno can feel the blood trailing down his side, but it's nothing like the pain when Craig bites him. Bruno howls. It's hard to concentrate, his head is swimming and his world has narrowed to the touch and smell of his mate, the way they are joined. Bruno doesn't want it to end, doesn't want Craig to pull his fangs out, but he knows what's coming next and he wants that too, to complete the claiming.  
  
He digs his claws into Craig's thighs trying to steady himself, and rubs his backside against Craig's cock.  
  
Craig pants, the taste of blood bright in his mouth as he wrenches Bruno's trousers down, past the swell of his buttocks, ripping at the fabric until there's room enough for him to spread Bruno's legs as far as they will go. His mate reeks of sex already, and Craig bends low, shoving his face between Bruno's cheeks to smell him properly, tongue darting out to taste, lapping at Bruno's hole like he can't get enough, going deeper and deeper each time until Bruno is shaking with it, clawing at the ground, continuous whine rising from his throat.  
  
Craig's tongue is slippery and thick as he pushes inside and Bruno mewls. It's been a long time since he's done this, had it done to him, and oh god he'd almost forgotten just how good it is. Craig seems to know exactly what he's doing and his tongue doesn't let up. Bruno bites down, trying not to scream, and tightens his arms so that he doesn't collapse onto the grass completely.  
  
Bruno starts to push back against Craig's face, fucking himself on Craig's tongue and it feels so fucking good he thinks he might just black out. His cock is dripping with pre-come and Bruno knows it won't take much to make him come and he can't stop making the most desperate noises.  
  
When Bruno is as wet and loose as he's going to get, Craig lifts his face, leaving a stinging bite in the meaty part of a buttock; another bruise to mark Bruno as his. He frees his cock with one hand, barely coherent enough to watch out for his own claws, and then pushes Bruno's head down, spreading his cheeks with both hands.  
  
Bruno is tight and the wolf in Craig's head growls in satisfaction as he pushes in to the hilt without pausing for breath. Beneath him, Bruno chokes on a moan but Craig is beyond taking it slow, the need to claim and possess overwhelming as he thrusts into his mate again and again.  
    
Jesus fuck, Craig is big and Bruno can barely breathe. He tries to relax but it's not as if Craig is really giving him any opportunity, fucking him harder and harder. It's at times like this that Bruno is glad that shifters don't take after their wolf brethren too closely. Thank god there's no chance of knotting, he’s not sure he could deal with that. As it is, because Craig is partially shifted, his cock is longer than it would normally be as a human.  
  
Bruno pants and concentrates on staying upright, which is becoming more and more difficult the way Craig is fucking him. Craig adjusts his angle slightly and Bruno howls as Craig hits his prostate. Once he's found it he doesn't stop and Bruno digs his claws into the ground as Craig starts to pound into him.  
  
Craig can't hear past the combined beating of their hearts and constant, desperate moaning of his mate. He can feel his orgasm coiling low in his belly, his spine curving as his fucks Bruno open, at the last moment biting down on the previously unmarked shoulder as he spills inside, cock pulsing, fangs pushing down and into Bruno's willing flesh.  
  
As Craig bites down, Bruno screams louder, not caring that anybody might hear him. His knees buckle as Craig's full weight pushes down on him, his clawed hands on either side of Bruno's own.  Bruno pushes back once, twice and then he's coming as well. He whites out for a moment and then slowly slides down onto the ground, his knees no longer capable of holding him up. Craig follows him down, pressing Bruno's body into the cool earth until he is utterly surrounded by his mate. Bruno closes his eyes and relaxes, feeling completely safe. Claimed. Mated.  
  
They lie like that for long minutes, breathing in sync as the sweat cools on their skin, claws and muzzle slowly retreating. Craig hasn't ever felt this content, this settled; the feeling of rightness is bone-deep and satisfying. He has claimed a mate and it's like a puzzle piece slotting to place, the way Bruno fits against him, filling all the empty spaces in his life.  
  
Slowly he lifts his head just enough to rub his nose against the base of Bruno's skull, breathing in their mingled scent. Bruno's shoulders are covered in blood, sticky now, and meticulously Craig starts cleaning him off, licking at the wounds until they are bleeding afresh, though only a little. Shifter healing means they are already closing, though the scars will remain as a permanent mark of the claim.  
  
Inch by inch, Craig moves down Bruno's back, his cock slipping out and making both of them moan brokenly at the loss. Craig can smell his come seeping out of Bruno's hole and he uses his tongue to spread it around, to push it back in.  
  
Bruno whines, jerking at the feel. There’s nowhere to go though as Craig’s hands hold him in place and as Bruno’s panting increases, he starts to harden again. That's no real surprise; he knows that what had just happened, had only been the beginning. By morning he was going to be fucked out and probably not able to walk. Bruno moans as Craig licks at his entrance, tasting him again and he starts to push up on his knees, presenting his ass to Craig, giving him better access.  
  
A moment later Craig pulls him up and pushes him hard against a tree trunk. Bruno yelps a little as the bark scratches against his bare skin but doesn't protest.  He wraps his arms around the trunk and holds on, knowing that he's about to get fucked again.  
  
Craig is hard once more. Werewolves have an excellent recovery time even normally but during mating it's going to take much more than just one orgasm to sate either of them.  
  
Bruno is still slick and open and Craig pushes his fingers in easily, revelling in the needy moans of his mate, the way he willingly fucks himself on Craig's hand. Not that he has much patience to enjoy the show for long.  
  
Wanting to see Bruno's face this time Craig flips him around, urging him to grab the trunk above his head as he hooks his arms under Bruno's knees and lifts, carrying the weight with ease.  
  
Bruno grips the branches above his head, holding tight. His arms are stretched a little but that feels good too. Craig lifts his arms, taking Bruno's legs with him and then he lowers him down onto his cock.  
  
It's a little painful, and the position means that Craig is deep inside him.  Keeping his eyes on Craig, Bruno leans down and licks along Craig's mouth. "Come on then," he tells him.  "Fuck me."  
  
Craig doesn't need to be told twice. His arm muscles tense as he lifts Bruno up, almost but not quite off his cock, before letting him fall back down, gravity bringing them flush together. Their position means that all of the work is Craig's and he controls their coupling, grateful for werewolf strength that makes it possible. He doesn't mind, enjoys being able to pull Bruno onto his cock, moaning and pliant as Craig sets a pace that is only marginally less brutal than their first time.  
  
Craig comes first again, his arms trembling and hips snapping up, mouth wet and open against Bruno's throat. Eventually he stops, carefully lowering Bruno's legs to the ground. He's still hard, cock curved up against his belly, and it's no decision at all for Craig to slide to his knees and take him in to his mouth, wanting to taste this part of his mate too  
  
Bruno slowly unclasps his fingers from the branches and lowers his arms, choosing instead to the cling to the tree behind him as Craig licks carefully at the head of his cock. He’s grateful right now that Craig's claws have fully retracted and that it's only his fingers that are wrapped around the base.  
  
Bruno moans, head falling back on the tree trunk as Craig sucks him in. Craig is taking it slowly and Bruno curses softly at him, looking back down. The alpha is watching him, eyes still golden – the wolf looking out – and Bruno bucks up into Craig's mouth. "Fuck, fuck, Craig..." He's panting and close and wants nothing more than to spill into Craig's mouth.  
  
Bruno releases one of his hands from the tree and brings it down, stroking it over Craig's jaw and mouth, up his face and into his hair. He grips a little tightly at the hair, and Craig growls around his cock. Bruno shivers at the sound. "Gonna come," he warns Craig, not knowing whether Craig will want to swallow or not.  
  
Craig can taste Bruno's approaching orgasm, smell it too, and he only takes Bruno deeper, humming in contentment as his mate floods his mouth. He swallows every drop, licking Bruno's cock clean afterwards, undeterred by the way he tries to twist away, oversensitive by now.  
  
Bruno sags back against the tree, almost flinching at the continued touch. Craig simply moves his hands so he's holding Bruno by his hips and slows down the movement of his tongue over Bruno's cock, taking his time. Bruno curses softly at him and Craig throws him a feral grin, wondering how Bruno would react if Craig made him come again right now. It's an interesting thought, but maybe for a future time. Right now, Craig wants to get his mate inside the house.  
  
"Come on." He pushes up and wraps his hand around Bruno's wrist.  
  
"Bossy much," Bruno mutters but it's not a complaint. He quite likes it, although he wouldn't want Craig to be like that all of the time. It is though the nature of the beast and it's as impossible for Craig to ignore his natural urges as it is for Bruno to ignore his.  
  
They leave Bruno's clothes where Craig had shredded them and Bruno trails after Craig into the house. He's a mess; grass stains and mud on his hands and knees, marks and cuts over his body, legs and belly streaked in come – his own and Craig's mingling on his skin, their scents combined.  
  
"Shower, c'mon," Craig says, steering Bruno in the direction of the bathroom. It's not that he wants to wash off the evidence of the claiming just yet, but the idea of having Bruno fully naked and wet under his hands appeals. Besides, it'll give him an excuse to mark him up again. As far as Craig is concerned Bruno is going to spend the rest of his life smelling like him.  
  
Bruno mutters something at him drowsily, stepping into the large walk-in shower without much prodding. The warm water seems to revive him though and after a few minutes standing under the spray, just enjoying the closeness, he turns and regards Craig with pursed lips.  
  
"What?" Craig asks, amused.  
  
"Well that won't do," Bruno says as if continuing some conversation he's started inside his own head. Then he nods determinedly and before Craig has a chance to ask any more questions he finds himself being pushed against the water slick tiles.  
  
Bruno winds his arms around Craig's neck and honest to god pouts up at him. "Hot as all this animalistic sex is, I'm also a man of refined tastes and expectations," he declares.  
  
Craig snorts. "Is that so?" he asks. "And what kind of expectations have I failed to meet so far?" He means the question as joking, knows full well that Bruno is kidding around, but it comes out rough around the edges regardless, because even the thought of disappointing his mate makes Craig's chest constrict painfully.  
  
Bruno's eyes grow soft and he drops a kiss to the underside of Craig's jaw, rising on tiptoe to reach. "This," he explains, lips brushing at the corner of Craig's mouth now, his meaning clear.  
  
By the time Bruno kisses him properly, Craig is smiling again.  
  
Bruno slides his hands down Craig's chest, exploring his mate which he hasn't really had chance to do yet. The initial urgency of the mating has lessened a little although Bruno knows it's not over yet.  
  
Craig is wet and Bruno squeezes some shower gel into his hands, wanting to wash his mate. Craig remains still, his eyes dark as he watches Bruno, simply turning and lifting his arms when he needs to. It's a pleasure to be able to touch Craig like this and Bruno takes his time, making sure that he gets to know Craig's body well.  
  
Once Craig is clean enough for Bruno, Bruno presses close to him and puts his hand around the back of Craig's head, pulling Craig down so their lips meet.  His mate is hard again and Bruno rubs against him, enjoying the soft growl that Craig makes.  
  
Bruno likes kissing and as far as he's concerned there's been a distinct lack of it so far this evening.  He licks along Craig's lips, and then inside as Craig opens his mouth.  His hands grip at Craig's shoulders and for a while there's nothing else; just the two of them kissing under the shower, warm and content and happy.  
  
Eventually, Bruno pulls back. He runs his thumb across Craig's swollen lips and then he slowly drops to his knees in front of his alpha. Craig is still hard and Bruno wants nothing more right now than to blow him, to see what his mate tastes like. His fingers trail over Craig's thighs and Bruno follows it with his mouth, licking and nipping softly at the skin. Craig makes an inarticulate sound, and Bruno grins up at him.  
  
"Your turn," he tells him before leaning in and wrapping his hand around the base of Craig's cock.  Bruno blows softly over the head and then starts to lick at it slowly and carefully, wanting to taste everything.  
  
"Jesus fuck, Bruno." Craig's hands come down and curl into Bruno's hair.  
  
Bruno looks good on his knees, hair water slick and curling around Craig's fingers, his mouth almost shockingly hot around his cock. He's good at this too, something Craig is unsurprised by even though the gratitude is mixed with jealousy. It's that streak of alpha possessiveness, mile wide and ingrained, that makes him fist Bruno's hair in earnest, pushing his cock in hard.  
  
"Mine," he grates out and Bruno moans, sinking deeper. It doesn't take long after that until Craig is coming down Bruno's willing throat, pulling out for the last few spurts to mark his face too.  
  
With a groan he slumps down to the floor, pulling Bruno to straddle his lap. "Yeah," he says, mouthing at the bruises he left earlier. "C'mon, want you to come on me."  
  
Bruno shudders, wrapping a hand around his cock.  
  
His fingers are slippery as he works his cock, hand moving up and down. He isn't going to last long, normally his staying power is a lot better than it has been tonight but it's pretty obvious that Craig doesn't have any problem with Bruno being that turned on he can't stop himself from coming.  
  
Craig bites down on one of the marks he made earlier and Bruno cries out, hand beginning to move faster and faster, and then he's coming over Craig as instructed. Craig’s bite deepens momentarily before easing, and Bruno slumps forward, leaning his forehead on his mate's shoulder.  
  
They stay like that for a while, Craig's arms encircling him and holding him close.  
  
Eventually Craig pushes him away slightly.  
  
"C'mon," he says, grinning. "Let's get out of the shower before things start to shrivel."  
  
Bruno snickers, casting a meaningful glance between them. "Don't think there's much danger of that."  
  
Craig laughs, pushing to his feet and pulling Bruno with him. He flicks the shower shut, grabbing a couple of towels from the rack and then gets too distracted watching Bruno rub himself dry to do the same himself.  
  
Bruno notices of course, and in a move familiar from a few weeks ago at the cabin, bends at the waist to give his toes a thorough patting with the towel. "So..." he drawls, when he finally straightens again and casts a mock innocent gaze in Craig's direction, "Bed?"  
  
Craig opens his mouth to agree but then has a much better idea. "Actually..." he says, smirking now, "I believe there's a chair in the lounge that you found particularly enjoyable not too long ago."  
  
Bruno blinks and then a delighted grin spread over his face. "Race you!" he says, tossing his towel over Craig's head to distract him and sprints off.  
  
Craig laughs, happy, and gives chase.

 

***


End file.
